COURSE TITLE: Environmental Impact Assessment

Lab #2: Identification of VEC’s/VEC indicators and Impact Prediction

Activity 1
(a)
Type of Environment Valued Environmental Component Justification for inclusion
(VEC)
Biophysical Environment
Freshwater marsh Water quality Water quality is important to sustain freshwater
species and is indirectly influenced by the project
Fish and Fish Habitat development.
Fish are important in ecosystems as they play an
important role in food chains and food webs which
will be indirectly impacted by the project.
Mangrove swamp Red, black, and white mangroves Mangroves sustains the coastline by preventing
erosion, improve water quality by acting as
sediment traps and providing nutrients to
freshwater and seagrass communities. It is directly
impacted by the project.
Blue, Hairy and Mangrove Crabs Commercially important species which is
Queen Conch threatened for population decline due to removal
of mangrove vegetation from the development of
the project.
Seagrass bed Turtle grass Seagrasses are directly impacted and are important
for coastal areas by stabilizing the seabed and
providing a habitat for many marine species. It is
in an environmental sensitive area.
Coral reef Staghorn, Brain and Scarlet Corals Corals are important to the ecosystems in the reef
which supports threated species in the area. Their
health would also indicate the overall health of the
ecosystems present in the reef.
Queen trigger fish An IUCN Red-Listed threatened species which
will be affected by the project’s development.

Atmospheric Air quality Nearby birds and other terrestrial animals will be
affected by dust and emission levels.
Human Environment
Demographic Population The project development will influence the human
population in nearby areas.
Economical Income The activities in the project development will
create job opportunities.
Social - Commercial Fishing Fishing is important for human communities by
 providing a source of food and income to locals.
This is influenced by the development of the hotel.
Recreational Tourism Influences the economy from the project
development and the coral reefs as an attraction
site.
Health Air Quality Humans on and near the project site will be
affected by dust levels and emissions from
machinery.

(b)
Biophysical Environment
Valued Environmental Component (VEC) VEC Indicator
Water quality Nitrate and Phosphate concentrations
Turbidity, Total Suspended Solids
Red, Black and White Mangroves Vegetation Cover
Turtle grass Species diversity
Percent grass cover
Staghorn, Brain and Scarlet Corals Intact Habitat
Fish Abundance
Water Temperature
Air quality Particulate Matter (PM)
Human Environment
Valued Environment Component (VEC) VEC Indicator
Income Income
Fishing Abundance per catch
Tourism Number of tourists per year, income
Population Population density
Health Air Quality Index

(c) VEC’s that were excluded include algae and planktons as measuring the changes in these
organisms is time consuming, it is also difficult to measure, collect and analyze. Algae
(including zooxanthellae) and planktons are small organisms which makes it difficult to see and
collect, this therefore does allow for a good VEC indicator. Good VEC indicators should be cost
effective to collect, measure and analyze.
 Activity 2
(i)
Biophysical Environment
Pre-Construction During Construction Post Construction
VEC’s Clearing of Land Golf course Establishing Landscaping Interior
Vegetation reclamation and water park building and
development structure (walls, exterior
flooring) designing
Water quality X X X X X
(-) (-) (-) (-) (-)
Mangroves X
(-)
Turtle grass X X X X X
(-) (-) (-) (-) (-)
Corals X X X X X
(-) (-) (-) (-) (-)
Air quality X X X X X X
(-) (-) (-) (-) (-) (-)
Human Environment
Employment X X X X X X
and Income (+) (+) (+) (+) (+) (+)
Fishing X X X X
(-) (-) (-) (-)
Tourism X
(+)
Population X X X X X X
Health X X X X X
(-) (-) (-) (-) (-)

(ii) Land Reclamation – this negatively impacts the biophysical environment as it disturbs the
distribution of sediment resulting in larger amounts entering the nearby Buccoo reef, increasing
the turbidity of water. This in turn, affects the seagrass communities and coral reef, as increased
turbidity blocks of light from entering the water, decreasing the productivity of seagrasses to
photosynthesize and provide food. There is also decreased productivity of corals as they form
mutualistic relationships with zooxanthellae which photosynthesize and provide corals with their
required energy. Land reclamation also negatively affects air quality as there is increased
particulate matter in the air and gas emissions from the operational machinery such as tractors.
In the human environment, there is a positive impact on employment as it creates job
opportunities for nearby locals. There is a negative impact to fishing as increased turbidity will
result in lower fish populations in the area, causing catch abundance to be lower. There are
negative effects to human health due to decreased air quality.
Clearing of mangrove vegetation – this negatively affects the biophysical environment as the
diversity of mangrove vegetation decreases resulting in habitat loss of wildlife species. This
results in decreased water quality in the swamp and nearby freshwater marsh as the leaves from
the mangroves increases organic matter in the water thereby increasing nitrate and phosphate
concentration, leading to eutrophication. This also negatively impacts the turtle seagrasses and
the corals as mangroves provide nutrients for seagrass communities and helps to improve water
quality by absorbing nutrients from runoff to prevent algal blooms. With decreased vegetation
cover, there would be decreased water quality affecting the coral reefs and seagrasses. There are
also negative impacts to air quality as there are emissions from operational machinery.
In the human environment, there is a positive impact to employment and income as it will create
job opportunities. There is a negative impact to fishing industry due to loss of commercially
important fish and shellfish species such as crab and conch which is found in the mangrove area
as well as the coral reef. There is also an expected increase in population in nearby areas due to
the creation of jobs for the project development.