strategic environmental assessment for shale gas ... -...

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Strategic Environmental Assessment

for Shale Gas Development

SANBI Biodiversity Planning Forum

Greg Schreiner (CSIR)

24 June 2015 gschreiner@csir.co.za

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In brief

• R12.5-M over 24 months commissioned by DEA

• South African government has made high-level

public commitments to shale gas exploration

• If the exploration phase yields successful

deposits, government may well consider

development of those resources at a significant

scale

• South Africa needs be in a position to make the

decisions relevant to that choice in a responsible

manner

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Guiding principles

• Salience: Address all the material

issues and be fit for purpose

• Legitimacy: Authorised and seen to be

an independent, transparent and fair

process

• Credibility: Evidence-based process.

Integrative Specialist Teams, expert and

stakeholder review

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SEA objectives

Objectives:

• Undertake a scientific assessment drawing on

multiple experts

• Address ALL material risks and opportunities

• Identify high risk activities and sensitive/vulnerable

areas across different development scenarios

• Define regional social and ecological limits

• Provide a decision-making framework for the

regulation of shale gas activities

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Study area

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What to assess? Development scenarios

2016 2055

No

min

al r

isk

S1 Reference

low

high

2035 2025

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Risk assessment approach

• Risk is the intersection between exposure (probability*consequence) and

vulnerability (which includes capacity to adapt and mitigate)

• Based on expert assessment in a shared language between specialist

groups to promote consistency

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Integrative Specialist Teams

• The assessment will draw

acknowledged author from

research organisations, academia,

civil society and the private sector.

• It will undergo two rounds of

review: First by independent

expert reviewers, then by

stakeholders.

• Integrating Authors allocated

nominal time stipends, other

Authors will have their

disbursements costs covered.

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Strategic issues

• The ‘Environment’ includes social, economic and biophysical

spheres. Strategic Issues include:

Water Resources (Surface & Subsurface) Waste Management

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Spatial Planning

Air Quality & GHG Emissions ‘Sense of place’ (values assessment)

Social Fabric Economics (including tourism)

Geophysics Energy Planning

Heritage Resources Agriculture

Visual, Noise & Electromagnetics

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SEA governance

Project Executive Committee

Process Custodians Group

Project Team

General stakeholders Expert Reviewers

Lead Integrating Author

Contributing Author

Corresponding Author

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SEA process

PHASE 1

Define shale gas

activities and

scenarios

PHASE 2

Scientific assessment

based on risk

approach

PHASE 3

Decision-making

framework for

government

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SEA outcomes

• Risk assessment with mitigating potential

• Sensitivity analyses spatially represented

• Limits or thresholds of change in study area

• Guidelines for permitting processes

• Monitoring protocols

• EMPr principles

• Minimum EIA requirements

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(seashalegas@csir.co.za)

(gschreiner@csir.co.za)

www.seasgd.csir.co.za/