In the context of this assessment, the environment refers to all non-project related issues and, therefore, includes both natural, social and health aspects. The Environmental Baseline Report (BR) for the NLNGPlus project, summarised in this IA Chapter 3, compiled relevant factual data on the study area concerning environmental, socio-economic, socio-cultural and health factors. Some specific survey work undertaken in 2001 for the NLNGPlus project is reported in the BR. Factors of the natural and social environment which have been considered are:

 

Atmospheric environment, specifically air quality, energy, light and noise.

 

Physico-chemical environment: climate, geology, geomorphology and topography, soils, sediments, hydrology and hydrodynamics of Bonny River, water chemistry in Bonny River, hydrogeology of Bonny Island and surface water quality on Bonny Island.

 

Biological environment, considering the flora and fauna in four land and water systems pertinent to the natural environment of Bonny Island: the estuary and coastal system, mangrove forest, freshwater swamp forest and dry-land rainforest and associated farmland.

 

Social, cultural and economic environment, considering both: socio-economic aspects - including demography, economic activity, infrastructure, exploitation of the natural environment and socio-cultural aspects - including ethnology, religion, education, social structure, social concerns, history and archaeology, nature conservation

 

Health Environment, considering the general health status -of the population in the area, existing workforce, their families and influx workforce/migrant people directly or indirectly associated/attracted by the project; health care statistics - vital statistics and disease patterns, and health infrastructure - perceptions about health and health needs.

The natural environment of the Niger Delta forms an integrated mosaic of aquatic, semi- terrestrial (mangrove, freshwater swamps) and terrestrial habitats. The delta forms one of the largest wetland areas in West Africa and is an area of international importance for its wetland environments, notably inter-tidal mudflats, mangrove and freshwater swamp forest and associated freshwater rivers.

 

In the Niger Delta several 'IUCN Red List' species can be found including all of Nigeria's 3-6 endemic or near endemic mammals. Part of the Delta's biodiversity is threatened by environmental degradation resulting from increased human activity. Under the Ramsar Convention recently signed by Nigeria (in 2001), the Niger Delta will undoubtedly qualify as a wetland of international importance.

 

Bonny Island is relatively flat and consists of a series of shallow sand ridges that indicate past regular seaward accretion. Soils are generally sandy or sandy loams and the natural soils are uncontaminated. Hydrogeological study has revealed that rainwater percolation through the sand has created a bulb of freshwater beneath the island, displacing saline water. It is this freshwater resource that supplies borehole water for the Bonny populace. Bonny Island experiences a seasonal climate (dry season and wet season), with high humidity all year and a high annual average rainfall of about 4000 mm.

 

Air quality on Bonny Island is generally good, although industrial activity and different forms of road and river traffic have increased in recent years. Air quality monitoring data from 2001 indicated that all potential pollutants: carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, methane, and non-methane VOCs are present at "low" concentrations compared to Nigerian and Internationally accepted standards.

 

The Bonny River system has the largest tidal volume of all the river systems in the Delta and the proportion of freshwater flow down the river is very low. There is generally a net flux of tidal water up the river, which disperses into various creeks and channels. The shore at the LNG plant site consists of a relatively flat beach before a steep drop into the central channel, which is approximately 15m deep. The system is highly dynamic and generally has high concentrations of suspended solids.

 

The Island supports three main types of natural vegetation: mangrove, freshwater swamp forest and dryland rain forest. The freshwater swamp forest includes areas of "galloping swamp", which has dry-land rain forest on the drier ridges and swamp forest in between. In addition there are areas of open coast, sand beaches, inter-tidal flats and creeks. There are no nationally designated nature reserves or other statutorily protected conservation areas on Bonny Island. However, NLNG, in consultation with the Bonny Island communities, is in the process of establishing a nature reserve of about 700 ha. The main habitats included in the proposed reserve are freshwater swamp forest with areas of galloping swamp. A nature reserve management committee is in the process of being set up.

 

The natural environments on Bonny Island have a considerable ecological value and contribute to the international nature conservation importance of the Niger Delta, particularly for aquatic and terrestrial birds. The freshwater swamp forests support a diverse avian migrant population, including Nigerian residents, intra-African migrants and a significant number of palaearctic migrants. As well as birds, the mangrove habitats on Bonny Island support a diverse range of important reptiles and amphibians, including crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and numerous species of snake, but no larger mammals. The open freshwater swamps between the residential area and the beach are of ecological importance and particularly sensitive to hydrological change.

 

The Bonny Island beach is a nesting site for sea turtles. Three 'Red List' species, i.e. the Green Turtle, Leatherback Turtle and Olive Ridley, are occasionally observed and lay their eggs along the Atlantic beaches from Bonny and eastwards to the Brass and Akassa beaches. They are occasionally caught in fishing nests. In the past, high reproductive successes were recorded, but currently the breeding of sea turtles on Bonny Island is highly disturbed by human activities and is thus shifted to undisturbed areas. The sea turtles are internationally recognised as globally endangered and Nigeria as a recent signatory of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) is committed to their protection.

The main population centre on Bonny Island is Bonny Town some 5 km from the LNG plant site. As at the 1991 census, Bonny Town, Finima and Bonny Local Government Area (LGA) as a whole had populations of 22,989, 5,590 and 76,124 people, respectively. Bonny Town alone accounted for about 30% of the LGA's population, while Finima contributed about 7.3%. At the peak of NLNG's Base project construction in 1998-9, over 17,500 construction workers (excluding dependants) were present on Bonny Island. With the influence of NLNG and other companies, it is likely that Bonny Town and Finima now account for higher proportions of the LGA's population but accurate data will not be available until after the 2002 Census.

 

Traditionally, the main occupations of people on Bonny Island have been fishing, subsistence farming, and trading, but with the increasing industrialisation of the area (since the base project), the proportion of people involved in construction work and trading has increased. Unemployment levels were high in Bonny Town before the base project (up to 50% for males and 40% for females) and although current figures are not available, the base and expansion projects and other developments will have reduced levels of unemployment considerably. This may, however, only persist for the duration of the Expansion and NLNGPlus construction period.

 

The influx of workers for the Base and Expansion projects construction and associated traders and service workers placed pressure on accommodation and services on Bonny Island. As a result, a number of ad hoc shanty settlements have become established, particularly around the Nigerian labour camp and along the road to the LNG plant site. The migrant communities of interest are Agalanga, Jacob Ama (Mango Village), Akusu I and II including Nembekiri (Monkey Villages). Mango Village was the one closest to the present NLNG plant site – located within the future safety exclusion zone - and the one most likely to interfere with the proposed NLNGPlus project. After due process of consultation and compensation, the illegal squatters have vacated the area and the village demolished.

 

Existing levels of housing on Bonny Island are good by Nigerian Standards, with most houses being single-family detached, constructed of cement blocks with corrugated iron roofing. The majority of houses have water closet facilities (60%), with rainwater collection providing the main source of water supply (57%). Although there is pipe-borne water supply from water wells in Bonny Town and Finima, most rural areas obtain water from a combination of boreholes, standpipes, wells and directly from streams. There is a general low level of provision of social infrastructure such as schools, medical facilities and recreational facilities. Most households use government supplied bins for the disposal of solid waste. However, in rural areas and in squatter villages, there is a significant, high rate of solid refuse disposal in unauthorised heaps.

 

Agriculture on Bonny Island is very limited and only takes place on the relatively poor sandy soils of the dry-land ridges of the galloping swamp forest. Fishing is traditionally a very important economic activity on Bonny Island. It has been estimated that fish may account for as much as 80% of protein consumption in such coastal areas of Nigeria. The catches are partly retained for consumption and partly sold at market to contribute to the overall local Bonny economy.

 

The economy of Rivers State is dependent primarily on the oil and gas industry, agriculture, fishing and forestry, including non-timber products. Much of the Niger Delta has a limited land-based infrastructure due to its inaccessibility. Water transport is, therefore, very important. Bonny Island has no road connecting it to Port Harcourt, so ferries and water taxis on the Bonny River provide the link to Port Harcourt. At Bonny, the road network consists of single two-lane, two-way carriageway road that interconnects Bonny Town, the largest settlement, with Abalamabie, Akiama, New Finima, squatter settlements in the south-west edge of the Island, the Labour Camp, and the oil and construction complexes and their residential areas. The primary roads are essentially single two-lane carriageways that act as major distributors for all categories of traffic movement between the urban areas of Bonny and the rest of the Island. Usage of the major roads by cars, motor bikes and pedestrians is heavy. "Flying" boats are the dominant forms of river craft for mass water transportation in the area. The Bonny River is an important shopping lane and the BCOT terminal handled 20.5% of total oil exported from Nigerian ports in 1991.

 

Bonny Island has been an important trading centre since the 16th century. This is reflected in the complex ethnic mix of its people. The major indigenous ethnic group is the Ibani. The socio-cultural aspects of the local population are highly dependent on their ethnic background and religion. In Bonny, Christianity predominates, although there are strong influences from traditional religious beliefs. The social and cultural fabric of local societies is centred upon the household, attitudes to gender, and the traditional authority structures that exist. Monarchy has survived in Bonny to this day and so has the house (extended family) system of traditional governance. At the head of traditional governance is the paramount ruler or king, known as the Amanyanabo, who presides over thirty-five houses, headed by chiefs. Below the king and chiefs, society is stratified into age groups. Women are excluded from the institution of chieftaincy, and paramount rulership. Their roles in society have hitherto been bound by cultural norms that have tended to relegate them to purely household chores. However, with modernisation and increased education, they are playing wider roles, and are now active in community and even regional and national affairs. Youths are also becoming increasingly active in both modern and traditional governance. The influx of construction workers for the NLNG Base and Train 3 Expansion projects, their dependants and numerous other people providing services to the workforce, has inevitably affected the existing local population. Although most of the immigrants are from southern Nigeria, a wider mix of social and cultural traditions has been introduced to Bonny.

 

The history of the occupation of the area indicates that Bonny Island is likely to be rich in archaeological sites. However, any archaeological sites that may have been present on the LNG plant site and residential areas were lost prior to the NLNG Base project due to the land clearance and importation of fill for the initial construction phase.

 

A range of environmental factors affects health, most notably those relating to disease vectors, e.g. those transmitting malaria, and yellow fever. Malaria is endemic and has the potential for fatality. Local employment and development would indirectly improve the economic status of the population and raise the general status of community health.

 

Community infant/child immunisation programmes assisted by NLNG during 1997-2000 have led to an increased level of immunisation coverage in Bonny LGA, although still not reaching WHO targets. Road traffic and shipping accidents are also important health factors. A combination of Government and private sources, including companies, provide health services in the Bonny Island area.

The integrity and sustainability of both the natural and social environment, and protection of its functions, depend on the conservation of critical environmental processes and components. In this Impact Assessment, these are called the environmental and social sensitivities. Environmental sensitivities are those factors which determine and maintain the natural character of Bonny Island habitats. They include physico-chemical characteristics, such as water quality, and air quality, and the protective and functional characteristics, such as habitat integrity, species/genetic resource and the water/soil/vegetation complex. In addition, the contamination capacity is an indication of the ability of the existing environment to absorb further contamination without adverse effects. Socio-economic and health sensitivities include: demographic characteristics such as population age and gender structure; socio-economic characteristics such as employment status and level of economic development; the status of social infrastructure, such as access to health, education and basic services; the level of exploitation of natural resources, including water; lifestyle characteristics, such as housing and living conditions and levels of moral decadence; and cultural characteristics such as traditional institutions, customary use of land, family structure and religious balance. An analysis of these sensitivities has been presented in the BR.