Tools and Resources

1. Tools and Resources With a focus on REA

2. In this session, we will… • Identify the key tools and resources regarding environmental activities • Describe the REA and its strengths and • Identify appropriate situations for its application

3. Some Tools and Resources • Environmental Stewardship Review for Humanitarian Aid (WWF) • ECLAC, Handbook for Estimating the Socio-economic and Environment Effects of Disasters • UNEP, Environmental Needs Assessment in Post-Disaster Situations: A Practical Guide for Implementation • Flash Environment Assessment Tool (FEAT) • IUCN Ecosystems, Livelihoods and Disasters • Guidelines on Camp Closure

4. Some More Tools and Resources • Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters (REA) • Framework for Assessing, Monitoring and Evaluating the Environment in Refugee-related Operations (FRAME) • Emergency Shelter Environmental Impact Assessment and Action Checklist

5. Environmental Stewardship Review for Humanitarian Aid (WWF)

6. Economic Commission of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Section Five: Overall Effects of Damages • Environment • The impact of disasters on women • Damage overview • Macroeconomic effects of damages • Employment and income

10. THE PHASE-OUT AND CLOSURE OF CAMPS FOR DISPLACED PEOPLE – A GUIDELINE • PREPARED BY THE GLOBAL CAMP CO-ORDINATION AND CAMP MANAGEMENT CLUSTER

12. Emergency Shelter Environmental Impact Assessment and Action Checklist Identifying Critical Environmental Considerations in Shelter Site Selection, Construction, Management and Decommissioning

14. Overview of the REA

15. The Problem • Environmental conditions often contribute to disasters. • Disasters can result in negative environmental impacts. • Relief aid can have positive or negative environmental impacts. • Lack of a systematic way to incorporate environmental impact assessment into disaster management. +/-

16. Review: What is the REA? Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters • REA is a rapid assessment tool to: • identify, define, prioritize environmental issues in disaster situations threatening HUMAN LIFE & WELFARE so that their effects can be minimized

17. The REA is… • Simple and rapid… • Designed for use in natural, technological and/or political disasters • A useful way to organize and make sense of environmental information available in disasters • A consensus-based qualitative assessment process • Used to identify follow-up actions during a disaster (… Not a tool which provides answers on how to resolve environmental issues)

18. REA and EIA… • REA does not replace an Environmental Impact Assessment • REA fills a gap when an EIA process can’t be used (disasters, rapidly changing situations). • REA results can serve as a “scoping” assessment for an EIA • REA results can set a baseline for EIA data analysis

19. WhyRAPID? • Those who respond to disasters have little time for in depth research and are not likely to be environmental specialist. • Actions must be taken quickly and can’t wait for a lengthy, quantitative and thorough assessment process

20. 4 Modules & 11 Tasks of REA • Organization Level Assessment • Community Level Assessment • Consolidation and Analysis(of 1 + 2) 4. Green Review of Relief Procurement See “table” page v in Guidelines.

21. Module I Module II Organization Level Module III Assessment Community Level Consolidation and Assessment: Task 11 Analysis Task 1 Context Statement Module IV Consolidate the Task 2 Factors Influencing Task 6 Task 7 + Issues Environmental Review Action Based on Impacts information Identify Critical Procurement Task 8 collected directly Task 3 Environmental Threats Issues and Actions from communities of Disasters or from secondary Prioritize Issues Task 9 Task 4 sources. Unmet Basic Needs and Actions Negative Environmental Task 10 Task 5 Environmental Consequences of Consequences of Relief Activities Relief Activities Review The REA Process Green Assessment Summary Form of Relief Community See Session 2.3 in your “Workbook”

22. Organization Level Assessment The Context National Geophysical Data Center

23. Factors InfluencingEnvironmental Impact Spatial, social, cultural, economic conditions of affected populations

24. Environmental Threats of Disasters Cyclones / Floods? In addition to the immediate loss of lives and damage to buildings, what are secondary environmental threats or hazards that may further imperil human life, health, welfare and/or their environment PAHO photo – Dom. Rep. • Salination and sedimentation ruin agricultural land • Damage to chemical plants, rivers carrying pesticides, toxic materials • Destruction of wooded areas creates future flooding hazard

25. Unmet Basic Needs What are typical basic needs in disasters? In REA “Unmet basic needs” we are concerned with: Basic needs which are not being met which result in survivors turning to their surrounding environment to extract from it what they need.

26. Unmet Basic Needs - Tsunami What are some of the unmet basic needs of this disaster? Which of these may result in survivors extracting from their environment to meet their unmet needs?

27. Negative Environmental Consequences of Disaster Relief For example, negative environmental consequences of refugee camps? UNEP Photo, Radusa refugee camp, Macedonia 1999 – Nearby Waste Disposal Area e.g. Camps: plastic & packaging waste, waste disposal site, latrines fill up, then what? Sanitation and water quality issues

28. Community Level Assessment Identifies critical environmental issues related to the disaster from the perspective of communities and groups affected by the disaster. Why do it? How?

29. REA Rating Forms Organizational Level Assessment Templates and Forms “Community Level Assessment Form” Issues Consolidation Table Issues and Action Table

30. What do we do with all data? Module 3: Consolidation and Analysis Consolidation and analysis of - Organizational Level Assessment and - Community Level Assessment Identifies and prioritizes environmentally-linked issues involving significant immediate threat to lives, well being and the environment

31. REA Outcome: Priorities & Actions Focus of the REA is to identify and prioritize environmental issues resulting from the disaster and disaster response which pose an IMMEDIATE threat to life, welfare or the environment • Re-design or reorient the existing relief and recovery efforts • Design new projects • Advocate for action • Identify where additional information or specialized assessment is required before deciding on actions Issues which do not pose an immediate threat to life, welfare or environment will need to be addressed during a longer-term recovery phase

32. Green Review of Relief Procurement Screens procurement of relief commodities and services to minimize negative environmental impacts.

33. Module I Module II Organization Level Module III Assessment Community Level Consolidation and Assessment: Task 11 Analysis Task 1 Context Statement Module IV Consolidate the Task 2 Factors Influencing Task 6 Task 7 + Issues Environmental Review Action Based on Impacts information Identify Critical Procurement Task 8 collected directly Task 3 Environmental Threats Issues and Actions from communities of Disasters or from secondary Prioritize Issues Task 9 Task 4 sources. Unmet Basic Needs and Actions Negative Environmental Task 10 Task 5 Environmental Consequences of Consequences of Relief Activities Relief Activities Review The REA:Any questions? Clarifications? Green Assessment Summary Form of Relief Community See Session 2.3 in your “Workbook”

34. Exercise Negative Environmental Consequences of Relief

35. Exercise Objectives • Complete Rating Form 4 “Negative Environmental Consequences of Relief Activities” • Identify which relief interventions may create negative environmental consequences • Propose general mitigation / prevention options to respond to the environmental threats

36. Module I Organization Level Module II Module III Assessment Consolidation and Community Level Task 11 Analysis Assessment: Context Statement Task 1 Module IV Consolidate the Factors Influencing Task 7 Task 2 Green Task 6 Issues Environmental + Community Review Action Impacts of Relief Assessment Identify Critical Procurement Task 8 Summary Form Environmental Threats Issues and Actions Task 3 of Disasters Based on Prioritize Issues Task 9 Unmet Basic Needs information and Actions Task 4 collected directly Negative from communities Environmental Task 10 Environmental Task 5 or from secondary Consequences of Consequences of sources. Relief Activities Relief Activities Review The REA Process

37. This form… …provides a way to quickly recognize and mitigate negative environmental impacts of disaster relief activities

38. Negative Environmental Consequences of Disaster Relief

39. What happens to all the shrink-wrap and packaging?

40. Kagera, Tanzania, 1996 Firewood consumption: 1200 ton/day Forest affected: 570 km2 Deforested area:167 km2

41. Flooding caused by clearing forested area for temporary emergency settlement

42. yes no yes How to identify potential negative environmental consequences Complete Rating Form 4 Step 1: determine if possible intervention is underway or planned.

43. yes yes no no no yes How to identify potential negative environmental consequences Step 2: determine if potential negative consequences have been addressed

44. How to identify potential negative environmental consequences Step 3: identify which of the interventions • should be changed to avoid negative impacts • need to be implemented despite negative impacts • should be canceled or avoided due to possible negative impacts

45. An identification of negative impacts of relief assistance… can lead to three outcomes: • postpone or cancel relief action if it results in environmental damage • change ongoing activities to incorporate environmental impact mitigation or avoidance measures • accept negative environmental impacts as unavoidable and preferable to no assistance Which action is preferred?

46. Exercise: Negative Environmental Consequences of Relief Activities Objective: Identify and prioritize negative environmental consequences of relief activities • Turn to the instructions for this step in your handout. • Begin by reading the case study and reviewing the content on rating form 4. • Complete rating form 4 following the steps outlined earlier and making any assumptions that you must. • After completing the form, in your groups, select the top three priority negative environmental consequences and enter these in the corresponding section of your group’s “Issues Consolidation Table.” 15 minutes to complete