Pierre River Mine Project

TERRESTRIAL AENV SIRS 44 – 78
Section 13.1
finalization of the wildlife monitoring program with ASRD after project
approvals have been issued, Shell will consider monitoring for the presence of
listed species as part of the pre-development wildlife monitoring program.
Request 59b Using information from surveys, provide ecosite associations of species listed on
Schedule 1 of SARA and current COSEWIC-listed species.
i. Quantify the total area and proportion of area of each ecosite phase used by
species listed on Schedule 1 of SARA and current COSEWIC-listed species
that will be destroyed over the lifetime of the project.
ii. Identify the reclamation targets for each ecosite phase currently used by
species listed on Schedule 1 of SARA and current COSEWIC-listed species so
that the base-case habitat availability can be compared to availability in the
reclaimed landscape.
Response 59b i. The total area and proportion of area of each ecosite phase and wetlands
types in the local study areas (LSAs), including those used by species listed
on Schedule 1 of the SARA and COSEWIC-listed species that will be
removed as part of the project, are presented in EIA, Volume 5, Section
7.5.2. The EIA acknowledges that, during construction and operations, direct
and indirect habitat loss will be of a high magnitude for all key indicator
resources (KIRs) (EIA, Volume 5, Section 7.5.3.3). However, environmental
consequences of the project are based on the change in habitat availability
between Base Case and Closure, after reclamation. As stated in the EIA, the
key mitigation to minimize residual effects is reclamation (EIA, Volume 5,
Section 7.1.3).
Species that are on Schedule 1 of SARA and/or are listed by COSEWIC
occur in insufficient numbers to detect any statistically significant changes
because of the project. Therefore, baseline efforts and the subsequent EIA
did not focus on these species. Beanlands and Duinker (1983) recommended
that assessments concentrate on an ecological perspective rather than trying
to assess all species; consequently, KIRs are used to provide focus for the
assessment (EIA, Volume 1, Section 1.3.5, Table 1.3-2). The Joint Review
Panel for the Mackenzie Gas Project (Joint Review Panel, 2010) in Sections
5.2 and 10.3 noted that “the use of indicator species is, in principle, an
acceptable method of impact assessment” (Section 5.10.2, page 274), and is
not inconsistent with SARA and COSEWIC requirements. Beanlands and
Duinker (1983) also recommended that an environmental assessment should
have a focused study effort based on a compromise between the information
needs of the decision-makers and what a sound, short-term applied science
program can provide.
To assess the impacts of the project on species listed on Schedule 1 of SARA
and current COSEWIC-listed species, the habitat associations of these
wildlife species observed or potentially occurring within the Jackpine Mine
Expansion and Pierre Rive Mine local study areas (LSAs) were compiled in
April 2010 Shell Canada Limited 13-25
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