Advice: quality of environmental studies for a harbour in a vulnerable area - Colombia

The NCEA has advised the Netherlands Embassy in Colombia on the quality of environmental information underlying a planned deep sea harbour in a vulnerable ecological area. Upon further request, the NCEA advised on an appropriate EIA trajectory and referred to experts and similar projects that can further improve the quality of environmental information in this project.

Significant details

Private investors were planning to invest in a deep sea harbour in Colombia's Bahía Málaga, which is a vulnerable ecological area. The Netherlands embassy in Colombia requested the NCEA to issue a second opinion on the quality of environmental studies that were issues for this project. It also asked the NCEA to inform on a possible role for the NCEA in the future trajectory of this project.

The NCEA issues an advice of the secretariat in which it advised the embassy. Main aspects of this advice include:

• The conclusion that the available environmental studies seem thorough – yet underlying documents are not available and therefore it is not possible to assess completeness of the information;
• The observation that an EIA is mandatory for this project, but has not yet been undertaken;
• Advice on a suitable EIA trajectory in this context;
• A description of the NCEA's possible roles (under certain conditions), including advice on ToR for an EIA and assistance in review of EIA;
• Recommendation of experts and referral to similar projects that can help to improve environmental information for this project.

Advisory reports and other documents

31 Mar 2010: Other