CONTACT US | SEARCH | SITE MAP

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

Round Table on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB - Guidelines)

The RSB is a voluntary international association of biofuel stakeholders who are working together to ensure the sustainability of biofuels production and processing by developing a voluntary certification process (see http://cgse.epfl.ch/page65660.html).  The ESIA processes will be used as a critical tool in the certification process.  The ESIA guidelines that CES has developed for the RSB are based on international best practice but have also been tailored to comply with the RSB Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Biofuels.  These guidelines are specifically tailored for the biofuels sector and indicate when it is appropriate to undertake a full ESIA, a Rapid Assessment or just and Environmental Management Plan.  They then go on to provide guidelines on what is required for each of these options.  Stakeholder engagement guidelines also feature prominently in the document.  These guidelines have been developed to ensure that the ESIA results in project decision making that is based on negotiation between all the key stakeholders and is informed by the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.  These guidelines are currently being reviewed by all the RSB stakeholders before being finalized. 

Addax Sugarcane to Ethanol biofuel project Sierra Leone

The Addax Sugarcane to Ethanol Biofuel Scoping Report has now been released for public review in Sierra Leone. This exciting project will see the conversion of sugarcane and cassava to biofuel for the European market. The basic project concept involves using the sugar in the sugarcane and converting it into ethanol through a fermentation process. In addition to this, electricity can be co-generated during the process. This is achieved by harnessing the heat energy released from the boilers and converting this energy into electricity. The Addax project hopes to be able to contribute to the national electricity grid in Sierra Leone using this additional power. The full scoping report can be found here. A number of specialist studies will be undertaken during the ESIA phase to meet international standards set by several DFIs. These will include a carbon lifecycle assessment, green house gas emission studies and an extensive social impact assessment.  

Click here to download the Scoping Report.

Nampula Brewery

Cervejas de Mozambique, a subsidiary to the SABMiller group are opening a brewery on the outskirts of Nampula City in Mozambique. CES are undertaking the EIA for this project in association with a Mozambican sub consultancy, SEED. The project will provide employment to communities surrounding the project, and is located on an already altered site (previously used for subsistence agriculture). The EPDA can be found here, and the construction Environmental Management Plan can be found here. These reports are available in English and Portuguese.

Cape Estuaries Programme - Estuary Management Plan for Mbashe and Mthentu

The CAPE estuaries programme, in association with the Eastern Cape Parks Board have contracted CES to prepare an Estuary Management Plan (EMP) for the Mbashe and Mthentu estuaries in the Transkei. The overall aim of the EMPs is to encourage sustainable use of estuaries and the conservation of biologically and socially important areas in the estuaries. Estuaries provide a range of goods and services to communities living nearby and are important nursery areas for many fish, invertebrates and bird species. Sound management of these systems is critical to ensuring the estuaries are able to continue providing a viable habitat for the fauna and flora found within them and providing ecosystem goods and services to surrounding communities. Buy in from the communities will be essential to ensure the success of these projects therefore a capacity building programme will be undertaken in collaboration with staff from UKZN to educate the communities about the functions and value of estuaries. 

Mozambique Tourism Anchor Investment Program

A number of Integrated Resort Sites have been identified as part of a joint initiative between the Government of Mozambique, represented by the Ministry of Tourism and the International Finance Corporation. The objective of the program is to secure quality tourism investments in Mozambique through the development of eco-tourism, integrated resort tourism and tourism resort development. CES has been appointed as the consultant to use a strategic framework approach for two of the sites identified by the Anchor program. These sites are Crusse / Jamali in Nampula province and Inhassoro in the Inhambane province, Mozambique. The focus of CES’s work will be on building relationships for longer term stakeholder engagement as part of the programme’s need to develop a more flexible, responsive and open engagement processes. The environmental and social studies that are part of the consultancy will be aimed at identifying opportunities and risks or constraints for sustainable tourism development options.

SOUTH AFRICAN PROJECTS

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA)

Coastal & Environmental Services (CES) has recently been appointed to develop a Climate Change Risk Assessment and Strategy for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA).  Climate change is likely to have affects will impact across environmental issues, economic performance, social behaviour, infrastructure and other aspects of human existence.  The manifestations of climate change in South Africa are likely to include:
* Higher temperatures
* Altered rainfall patterns
* More frequent or intense extreme events such as heat-waves, drought, and storms. 
*Rise in sea levels
The global climate will continue to change in ways that affect the planning and day to day operations of businesses, government agencies, etc.  Organisations such as the TNPA will need to understand the nature of the risks associated with climate change impacts and to know that these are identified and incorporated into processes for management and strategic planning; and apply risk management frameworks to ensure their organisations have identified and considered the risks of climate change impacts. 
CES will assist TNPA in developing an effective response to the risks associated with climate change.  This requires an awareness of the risks posed by climate change and, more importantly, an understanding of the relative significance of those risks to TNPA business and operations.

Grown Energy Bio-fuel full ESIA

CES in association with Bioglobal, its partner in Mozambique, has initiated the full ESIA phase of the Grown Energy Zambeze project.  The project proponent Grown Energy, with its funders, would like to establish a bio-ethanol plant using a 36 000 ha concession within the Sofala Province, along the banks of the Zambezi River. The crops used will include both sweet sorghum and sugar cane. With regards the ESIA, all the relevant social and biological specialist site visits have been conducted, with report preparation in hand.  Once complete the impact assessment report will be released for authority and public comment towards the end of June 2009. 

Knysna N2 Toll Highway

CES has been appointed by SANRAL to undertake the EIA for the Proposed Knysna N2 Toll Highway, which will bypass the CBD of Knysna. Due to the nature of the project, extensive Public Consultation has been undertaken. Consultation for the scoping phase of the EIA was initiated in early 2005, and in December 2005. Consultation for the EIR phase of the project was initiated in May 2009. This was undertaken by means of a series of meetings and open days with IAPs in Knysna, Plett, George and Sedgefield. During this process over 1000 stakeholders have either registered and/or attended meetings. The Scoping Phase has been completed; the draft report was available for review in July 2006. The response to the report was considerable with much concern over the need to investigate a ‘Northern’ route as an alternative to the proposed routes. After much discussion between DEAT, SANRAL and CES around a whether the EIA should investigate a Northern route, the Scoping Report was finalized in May 2007. In this report DEAT were asked to make a decision on whether a Northern route should be investigated in the EIA. In August 2007 DEAT approved CES’s plan of study for the EIA and indicated that the ‘Proposed’ and ‘Short’ routes for the highway be investigated further along with the No-go Option (which is essentially the Municipality’s Traffic Management Plan). CES and SANRAL are contracted eight specialists to investigate and assess the potential impacts of the project alternatives. These specialist studies include assessments of the visual, noise, erosion, social, economic, traffic and ecological (terrestrial and aquatic) impacts. The specialists have completed their studies, and the integrated Draft Environmental Impact Assessment report has been released for public review, until the 8th June. CES anticipates that the EIA will be complete by the end of the year.

Peregrine Dunes Golf Estate

CES was commissioned by Tradezilla 109 PTY (Ltd) in 2008 to undertake the Full Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed Peregrine Dunes Golf Estate. The project entails the development of links Golf Course, clubhouse, 650 residential units, a five star hotel, a boutique hotel and lodges. Tradezilla 109 PTY (Ltd) would like to establish a links Golf Course that mimics the natural coastal terrain and incorporates the indigenous coastal forest and grassland characteristics throughout the development. In addition, a proposed link to a conservation area that lies adjacent to the proposed land has been suggested and explored. The Scoping Phase was completed and the competent authority gave permission for the EIA phase to commence. The EIA phase has seen the preparation of 9 specialist studies which have all been completed and the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is currently under preparation. Once the EIR is complete it will be presented at a public meeting and then submitted to the competent authority for review and a decision which is envisaged to be by the end of June 2009.


 

Eastern Cape Parks Board Forestry Survey - Boundary Survey and Demarcation of Indigenous State Forests in the Wild Coast

CES’s general objective is to assess the state of DWAF-managed indigenous forest boundaries with a view to demarcating them. The indigenous forests managed by DWAF in the area north of the Kei River have been grouped into ten estates, and the focus of this contract will be on the six estates that are in the coastal zone in the former Tranksei between the Kei River and the Umtamvuna River. The investigation is to undertake a review of the theoretical considerations around forest boundary dynamics, to develop a common understanding of the terminology and characteristics, and define the criteria for forest demarcation. The investigation is to be underpinned by the various forms of spatial data to develop a GIS Arc View database of the forest reserves.

Tsitsa River Basin - Land Use and Environmental Management Plan
 

CES has been appointed by ASGISA Eastern Cape to produce a Land Use and Environmental Management Plan for the Tsitsa River Basin (TRB). Ultimately, this study seeks to identify and support sustainable land use practices within the TRB, and in particular, to identify those areas that may be suitable for new land use developments. The primary objective of the TRB study is to provide an assessment of the environmental constraints and opportunities and integrate this information into the formulation of sustainable land-use plans and programmes for both the Elundini and Mhlontlo Municipalities. It is important to note that this study will not provide a blueprint for any specific land use. It will however explore practical land use options and how they can be implemented.