Transforming data and information into knowledge. A review of ‘Monitoring biodiversity: lessons from a trans-Andean megaproject/Monitoreo de Biodiversidad: Lecciones de un megaproyecto andino’

One positive side effect of environmental impact assessment can be increased scientific knowledge, especially for large projects in remote areas. Such is the story told in this book, one of the researchers engaged in biodiversity surveys from Western Amazon to the Pacific Coast in Peru, ‘a biologist's dream’, in the words of Prof. Thomas Lovejoy, former director of the Smithsonian Institution, a well-known research centre based in Washington, DC, USA and famous for its museums.

Alexander von Humboldt, the early XIXth century German mining engineer turned naturalist, the first person to climb an Andean peak in Ecuador and to record altitudinal vegetation variation in a mountain range, would certainly be delighted with such an opportunity to transect the Andes from the Amazon slopes up over the cordillera to the dry coastal lowlands.

The project in question is a 408-km long pipeline from gas fields in the Ayacucho Department to a liquefaction plant and port. The pipe starts in the eastern slope of the Andes at 2900 m above sea level in a region of upper montane and dry forest, runs 306 km in high altitude (up to 4900 m) grasslands and wetlands to descend to the coastal plains deserts. The project is unrelated to the controversial Camisea gas field development, which also had the involvement of the Smithsonian in biological surveys and in designing mitigation (Dallmeier et al. 2002).

The subject of the book is the so-called biodiversity monitoring and assessment program (BMAP), part of the biodiversity action plan (BAP), itself unfolding from the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) process.

In 2007, after the ESIA was completed and the government approval was obtained, the project proponent approached the Smithsonian Institution for assistance in developing a BMAP, whose results are presented in this book.

Outcomes are summarized by Dr Steven Monfort, Director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in his foreword: ‘nearly 40 science-based mitigation recommendations and conservation actions that are already being put into practice’ (p. xvi), including avoiding development ‘within critical areas of high biodiversity’.

The book is bilingual (English and Spanish) and features 19 chapters, most with black and white illustrations, and 32 color plates in between. A total of 57 authors wrote the chapters, structured as journal papers. Each chapter features an abstract, key words, and the classical contents of a research paper with introduction, methods, results, and discussion.

Four chapters are likely of most interest to the non-specialist. In the first, ‘Historical framework to develop the biodiversity monitoring and assessment program across the Peruvian Andes’, the history of the project is featured alongside key dates, such as the 2005 completion of the ESIA, and information about funding, provided by a pool of export credit agencies, the International Finance Corporation and the Inter-American Development Bank. International guidelines were used to develop the 2005 BAP. This plan included the development of an ‘ecological field survey’ (EFS) to ‘identify sensitive species and habitats’ within a 50 m wide right of way and a vegetation survey along a 25 m wide corridor that provided information on the ‘numbers and locations of individuals of each sensitive plan species’. These detailed surveys followed the baseline study of a 3–7 km wide corridor during ESIA preparation. The BAP also has a monitoring component, whose implementation triggered the involvement of the Smithsonian. For the Institution, ‘a lack of detailed scientific data about the region and the status of species and habitats of potential conservation concern’ (p. 8) represented an opportunity to increase knowledge.

The chapter on the ‘Ecological landscapes units’ describes 14 landscape types mapped in the study area. Such units correspond to ‘drainage basins, mountain systems, or other geographic features with common attributes and functionality’, representing a combination of physical and ecological characteristics. Mapping was part of the EFS subsequent to the ESIA. Its purpose was to provide a background to establish species and habitat sensitivity analysis (as a means of determining monitoring priorities) and to design ‘ecological action plans’ tailor-made for each unit. The chapter briefly describes each unit but does not elaborate on further use of this information, which is to be found in the next chapter (chapters in the book are not numbered).

In the chapter ‘Biodiversity monitoring and assessment framework for an infrastructure megaproject in the Peruvian Andes’, the structure of the research project is explained. Its goals are stated as ‘to understand the status and trends of selected species and habitats’, ‘to assess the effectiveness of the company's mitigation efforts’, and ‘to contribute to the knowledge of the biodiversity in the region’. The book focuses on the first and on the third goal. The design of the project was guided by a focus on ‘species and habitats of conservation concern’. A prioritization process was defined to scope in monitoring targets.

The process of selecting what should be monitored is noteworthy and certainly of interest for monitoring biodiversity impacts of other projects in any region of the world. From a baseline that listed hundreds of species (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and plants) – and proved the area to have high diversity in all groups studied – to the subsequent EFS and an additional vegetation survey along the right of way, a total 145 species and habitats were selected as ‘important’, therefore as candidates for monitoring. These were classified according to five levels of priority, considering information on (i) conservation status (according to the IUCN red list and Peruvian government lists); (ii) level of endemism; (iii) mobility; and (iv) other (including a basket of practical criteria, such as access and security). As a result, 32 monitoring targets were selected: 9 species of plants, 3 genera of fish, 3 genera of amphibians, 3 taxa of reptiles, 4 species of mammals, and 3 habitats. Examples are Platalina genovensium, a critically endangered bat, Atlapetes melanopsis, a bird endemic to humid montane forests, and ‘hydromorphic habitats’.

For each selected target a peer-reviewed ‘assessment protocol’ was developed. The book provides a template of such protocol. Besides describing operational procedures, field work logistics, and other practicalities, the protocols state the ‘scientific questions and hypothesis’, sampling and data analysis requirements, training, mentoring and capacity building as well as strategies for publication.

Therefore, the monitoring approach is not only science-driven, but also designed to overcome a common gap in ESIA follow-up, where data and information are not built into knowledge (Sánchez 2012). Instead of stacking Terabytes of information in files, BMAP aims at building knowledge that can be fed back into project management and used for future environmental assessments.

Fifteen chapters deal with fauna and flora, either focusing on a particular species or groups, and habitats: the seasonal dry forest and the peat bogs known as bofedales – a unique high-altitude community characterized by high levels of humidity. The chapter ‘Vegetation restoration in Andean environments: accomplishments and challenges’ presents results of two campaigns of evaluation of revegetation inside the pipeline's right of way.

The final chapter, ‘Developing and implementing a biodiversity monitoring program for a trans-Andean megaproject: accomplishments, limitations and transferable knowledge’ summarizes lessons learned, the strengths, and limitations of the approach. A series of practical recommendations are made, including, among others: (1) obtaining senior management and investors commitment, (2) using a landscape-scale approach as well as different spatial scales when assessing biodiversity values and conservation priorities, (3) ensuring scientific independence for the research partner, (4) the need of consulting with experts and stakeholders, (5) the importance of aligning the goals of biodiversity monitoring with company needs, (6) conducting a systematic prioritization to select what is to be monitored, (7) developing peer-reviewed research-oriented monitoring protocols, and (8) maintaining regular communication with government officials. Authors also acknowledge limitations and problems encountered, such as staff turnover both in the company and in government, and the occasional perception, by project staff and company contractors, of the biodiversity team as another contractor, not as ‘partners’, as stressed by the authors in different chapters.

Color plates illustrate the landscapes, fieldwork, particular species, and aspects of the construction works. A remarkable absence, however, is a comprehensive map. The book format (19.5 cm × 27.5 cm) would have been favorable for inserting a couple of maps in larger scales. Actually, the four-color maps are really small scale, ranging from 1:6,600,000 to 1:21,000,000.

The reader may also be curious about costs. The editors do not make any mention, but the first question a manager will ask when considering a robust biodiversity monitoring program will be: ‘how much does it cost?’ Hence, some disclosure would be welcome and would contribute to the scarce literature on costs of environmental follow-up (Sánchez & Gallardo 2005). This would be a welcome addition to a book that focuses extensively on the benefits of a science-based approach: increased knowledge, capacity building of researchers, professionals and institutions in Peru, adaptive management responses, habitat restoration, avoided impacts on biodiversity, and conservation actions. In this sense, the book shows that appropriate environmental management and follow-up of a project results not only in an enormous amount of data and information, but also and foremost in knowledge that can be used to strengthen the management of this project as well as the assessment of other projects.

Monitoring Biodiversity summarizes lessons learned in the design and implementation of a robust science-based monitoring program of a large project. It should serve as inspiration for project managers and decision-makers worldwide. For those with an interest in the approach, besides reading the book, I suggest a visit to the website: www.bmap.com.pe (in English and Spanish).