GIS in Environmental Impact Assessment and Land Use

GIS in Environmental Impact Assessment and Land Use Williams P GANILEO Ministry of Lands, Vanuatu

What do we want to achieve? A place that we can live in and enjoy our lives free from pollution A place free from natural and socio economic impacts

Contents • • • Current state of EIA and GIS in Land Use Conventions and MEA Process of EIA Uses of GIS SWOT for GIS in EIA in Land Use Challenges for Vanuatu/PIC’s

Current state of GIS and EIA in Land Use • GIS is a continued process within the Dept of Lands and specific Govt departments • Data sharing policy • Data standards and collection • GIS platforms from Map. Info, Manifold, Arch GIS, QGIS • Data hosted by OGCIO for all Government

Conventions & Legislations to regulate UN Conventions, CBD, CCC, etc Regional EA Environmental Acts, land acts, pollution, water quality, waste, Public health,

Process of EIA • Application for PEA along with VIPA for a development type • Within the Municipal, the city government will inform the Dept. of environment to conduct a scooping for EIA • Within the rural areas, an application for EIA is submitted to DEPC. This will await approval by LMPC if category is within the law

An application for petrol station project approval This is the site

What happens in EIA? ? • a systematic process to identify, predict and evaluate the environmental effects of proposed actions and projects. • an exercise carried out before any project or major activity is undertaken to ensure that it will not in any away harm the environment, social and economic on a short-term or longterm basis

Usual EIA practices • Usually it’s the prediction of impacts and mitigation measures on soils, ground and surface water, biological environment, air, noise, socio-economic, and risks assessment • Normally it is our best guesses on the nature while keeping in mind the 3 PPP (Policies, Proposals and Projects = SEA).

We survey the built environments

Water Quality/pollution

Distance from Main water source

Land Policy assessments This is the site

Attributes of the site

Calculating the distances for likely impacts

Use of GIS • Allows good assessments on the requirements needed to ensure that the development does not violate the other laws (construction, operation and decommissioning) • Ensures that the laws are upheld • Could propose new designs to mitigate the effects from the laws • Could allow to reconsider the plans and accommodate for better planning

SWOT for GIS in EIA in Land Use • We have legal systems in place • We have been using GIS • We have EIA and GIS consultants • USP is offering post graduate courses in EIA/SD • Practice EIA is very low • Legislations are weak • Political will is weak due to lack of levels of politicians understanding

SWOT for GIS in EIA cont’ • It’s a growing business industry in Vanuatu and the pacific Islands Countries • Could involve people with multiskills • Assist to safe the planet • Allows amendments to suit our needs • Its a specific task required to be done with its time limit for construction, operation and decommissioning • It has a time frame to be completed before construction begins

Challenges for Vanuatu • We have only 3 registered consultants • It’s a costly exercise for the Department of Environment to ensure that all developments in the outer islands have to meet the requirements of the laws • Shortage of staff to carry out the requirements of the law • Process is often very weak due to levels of governance • Importance of EIA and GIS in the country • Skills required for research and report writing

Thank you