This Biodiversity Impact Assessment was undertaken by MRF on behalf of Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd for the Dalak Pipeline Project commissioned by Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd.
MRF was contracted to conduct a desktop assessment and review, along with additional fieldwork in to develop a risk assessment matrix and gap analysis related to mitigation of impacts arising as a result of the Dalak Pipeline Project. MRF conducted searchers of major online abstract repositories to identify all known publications related to turtles and dugongs, mangroves and other marine fauna in the vicinity of the proposed pipeline, and sought access to coastal environmental sensitivity reports developed for both Sabah and Sarawak, along with existing PEIAs and EIAs for the area to provide as much background material as possible without having to revert to additional fieldwork where appropriate.
MRF also determine distribution among grids (presence/absence) and abundance of turtles and dugongs through aerial surveys using a high-wing aircraft. The surveys were planned for approximate two-week sampling periods of approximately five hours each, timed to provide temporal variation between surveys. Macrobenthos sampling was conducted along the pipeline to assess long-term accumulation of biological and chemical conditions of the substrate, and mangrove distribution and composition was determined via a series of line transects from the seaward edge to the landward edge along the proposed pipeline landfall, and at 50m and 100m north and south of the proposed pipeline route, to determine exact species composition and density, along with notes on associated flora and fauna. Quadrat sampling was also used to determine tree and root densities, noting potential and actual sources of impact along both marine and terrestrial borders.