Shrimp Farming and the Environment - Library

The structure of the executive summary should follow the structure of the main body of the study. Anoutline or blueprint for a feasibility study is presented in Annex 5.Impact assessment and monitoringIt is important when planning a shrimp farming venture that an environmental impact assessment beundertaken. The discussion of impacts and mitigation measures in Chapters 3–5 of this report provide abroad outline of the kinds of impacts that should be addressed, and the mitigation measures that mightbe proposed in such assessments. Detailed guidelines for the environmental assessment of aquacultureprojects and related development programs have been produced recently by SEACAM (1999).These assessments must be undertaken with maximum public and stakeholder participation and, inaddition to the more usual technical issues, should address, at a minimum:• Siting;• The potential for cumulative or additive impacts;• Environmental capacity of the surrounding area;• Social impact (including loss of access to communal property and water);• Alternative technologies; and• Employment opportunities.Once the project is initiated, ongoing monitoring and reporting should be assured, either by agovernment mechanism or by the project proponent, with government oversight. In either case, shrimpfarmers should be required to provide regular reports to confirm that they are operating within acceptedstandards. Deviations from the norm by one operator can have disastrous effects on a number of othershrimp farmers.Environmental assessment should be integrated fully with project planning and investment appraisal, sothat it can make a positive contribution to project planning, design, and operation. This means that theEIA team should work closely with economists and engineers from the outset. In this way, EIAbecomes a positive tool to promote sustainable development, rather than a restrictive (and in somecases destructive) set of administrative procedures.Summary of minimal requirementsIn summary, any proposal for the development of a major shrimp farm or shrimp farm developmentproject must include provision for a comprehensive feasibility study (based on earlier opportunity andprefeasibility studies). A more complete outline for a typical feasibility study for a shrimp aquacultureproject is included in Annex 1. However, at a minimum, an assessment should address:• The natural resources and conditions available to support the project;• The risk of disease and the existence of industry or government strategies to prevent ormanage it;• Commercial and market conditions, such as availability and cost of production factors,domestic production and imports, and trends in total demand in the most promising markets(including foreign markets);• Similar projects in other regions or countries and their success, and possible linkages to otherindustries;• The general investment climate;• The likely environmental and social impacts;• Industrial policies and other relevant legal/regulatory aspects; and• The extent to which the project fits with existing development, natural resource developmentplans, and integrated coastal management plans.In addition, the proposal should include a comprehensive environmental impact assessment thataddresses and evaluates, at a minimum, the following areas:• Alternative siting opportunities, designs, and technologies;• Alternative management practices and levels of intensity;69