#9/9 regional compliance monitoring

Regional Compliance Monitoring

A marine aggregate industry perspective

Mark Russell

Director, British Marine Aggregate Producers Association

When you know there is a wave coming…

You can position yourselves to take advantage…

Or not…!

Why a regional approach?

• Common drivers – three consenting

phases for existing activities since 2008

• Distribution of industry interests

meant common EIA issues to address

• Common benefits to operators

- saves time & effort

- saves cost

- delivers a consistent outcome

• Similar benefits to regulators &

advisors – best use of resources

By the end of 2014, this approach

supported delivery of >100 consents

Context to regional monitoring

• Moving from a position where most historic licences didn’t have

monitoring requirements to a position where every licence has a

minimum requirement

• Cost implications – increased cost per tonne dredged (commodity

price doesn’t change, monitoring simply adds to the cost base)

• Time/effort implications – to deliver the requirements in the right

way and at the right time

• Capacity implications – across operators, regulators, advisors and

contractors

Re-licensing programme provided an opportunity for change

Keith Cooper

Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 0HT

[email protected]

The development of Regional Seabed Monitoring Plans (RSMP) for the marine

aggregates industry

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Background MARINE AGGREGATES INDUSTRY

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• Aggregate dredging can alter the composition of seabed sediments

• Possible implications for biological recovery of the site after dredging

• Licence conditions used to mitigate such effects. For example:

– Limiting extraction rate / screening

– Requirement to leave seabed in similar physical condition

– Monitoring programme

• Existing monitoring approach looks at impacts of ongoing dredging. Doesn’t inform about likely recovery – this is the important question for sustainability.

• Need a better way of differentiating between acceptable and unacceptable environmental change

Background NEW MONITORING APPROACH

Waye-Barker, G., Cooper, K.M., McIlwaine, P., Lozac, S. The effects of sand and gravel extraction on the sediment particle size and macrofaunal community of a commercial dredging site (15 years post-dredging) (in prep).

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Solution?

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• Broadscale seabed surveys (REC, MAREA)

• Improved understanding of the distribution of animals and sediments and the relationship between the two

• Use this knowledge to set limits of acceptable change in sediment composition to ensure the return of the original faunal assemblage after dredging

Cooper, K.M., 2012. Setting limits for acceptable change in sediment particle size composition following marine aggregate dredging. Marine Pollution Bulletin 64, 1667 - 1677.

Cooper, K.M., 2013. Setting limits for acceptable change in sediment particle size composition: testing a new approach to managing marine aggregate dredging? Marine Pollution Bulletin 73, 86 – 97.

NEW MONITORING APPROACH

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Step 1 Identify & characterise the broadscale distribution of faunal assemblages present in the wider region

Step 2 Identify range of sediment particle size composition found in association with each faunal assemblage

Step 3 Identify a suitable licence condition for acceptable change within the zone of effect

Step 4 Assess change in sediments

Step 5 Assess compliance with licence condition

Step 6 Identify any management action

EIA

Monitoring

Method NEW MONITORING APPROACH

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Dataset

Timeline:

• Extensive pre-dredge baseline surveys (REA 05)

• Dredging commences 2006

• Annual monitoring

Approach:

• Baseline data (05)used to identify limits of acceptable change

• Latest available monitoring data (2010) used to assess compliance with the hypothetical licence condition

Data

• Baseline (2005) - 458 samples (macro and sediment particle size)

• Monitoring (2010) - 427 samples (macro and sediment particle size)


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Step 1: Fauna

Characterising taxa

Univariate summary indices Faunal cluster groups


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Step 2: Sediments

Sediment envelopes (acceptable change limits)


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Step 3: Licence condition

Suggested condition At the end of the licence term, and with allowance made for natural variability, the composition of sediments* within the PIZ and SIZ must remain within the acceptable change limits for the faunal groups identified during the pre-dredge survey. Compliance will be established using the methodology outlined in this study. * Percentages of coarse gravel, medium gravel, fine gravel, coarse sand, medium sand, fine sand, silt/clay

Aim

To maintain the seabed in a condition which will allow for the return of the pre-dredge faunal distribution post dredging


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Steps 4 & 5: Assess change & compliance

Questions:

Is there evidence of gross change in sediment composition within the footprint of potential effect (PIZ, SIZ) and at REF sites?


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Are the sediment changes at individual sites within acceptable limits (i.e. not ecologically significant)?

Identify appropriate management action (e.g. do nothing, vary rate of extraction, screening, target different sediment fractions)

Step 6: Management action? NEW MONITORING APPROACH

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Clear benefits of approach:

• Clear scientific rationale

• Allows for change

• Effective licence condition

• Environment defines limits of acceptable change

• Ability to differentiate between statistical and ecological significance

• Reduced monitoring costs

• Regional perspective

NEW MONITORING APPROACH Implementation

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Opportunities:

• Dataset can help the renewables industry

• Harmonisation of monitoring approaches across offshore sectors

• Collaboration - sharing of monitoring stations /data

• Compliance monitoring can contribute to higher level assessments of marine ecosystem health (e.g. MSFD)

Thank you

More Information on the RSMP

Cooper, K.M., 2012. Setting limits for acceptable change in sediment particle size composition following marine aggregate dredging. Marine Pollution Bulletin 64, 1667 - 1677.

Cooper, K.M., 2013. Setting limits for acceptable change in sediment particle size composition: testing a new approach to managing marine aggregate dredging? Marine Pollution Bulletin 73, 86 – 97.

Cooper, K.M., 2013. Marine aggregate dredging: a new regional approach to environmental monitoring. PhD Thesis. University of East Anglia: UK.

The journey so far...

• Five RSMP surveys are currently underway

• Deliver regional sediment/benthic baseline

data for over 60 licence/application areas

• Growing recognition of the advantages of a

joined up approach – tangible benefits

• But it can be complicated, both from a

regulatory/compliance viewpoint but also

in terms of practical delivery

• Growing confidence from the experience

through ‘learning by doing’.

The next steps...

• Develop standard specification and programme for all common

survey/ reporting obligations throughout licence term (not just

seabed sediments)

• To realise its potential at a regional scale it will require some

flexibility – both from operators, but also from regulators &

advisors

• Root & branch review or half-way house solution? Existing

conditions/ timings make it more complicated – not starting from

scratch as per RSMP

• There are challenges, but equally there are enormous benefits to

be realised for all – particularly in the long term

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Summary

A regional approach to monitoring has the potential to enable the

delivery of more cost effective and consistent compliance data and

therefore support better regulation

• Better for operators

• Better for regulators

• Better for statutory advisors

Everyone stands to benefit from improved delivery,

so share the risks of developing new approaches