Mission
The workshop focused on a single important aspect of otter conservation - the impact of developments on otter populations and how these can best be assessed.
The main outputs of this workshop will be the production of a series of standards that are considered necessary to be able to determine the impacts of developments on otter populations and the success of mitigation/compensation measures deriving from those. Once formulated, these will become the official Otter Specialist Group guidelines, and will be distributed to relevant authorities and project planers in all EU member states and other countries in Europe.
All developments encroaching on habitat occupied by otters have the potential to impact on the species – in many instances this impact is likely to be negative. Dependant on the scale of the development, as well as on planning and conservation regulations/legislation, an environmental impact assessment of the development will be required, included in this being the eaffect on otters. The scale of the development will determine whether one or more otter ranges are likely to be affected. Small proposals, e.g. the construction of one or a few houses near a river will probably impact on parts of one or two ranges, while large scale developments, such as hydro electric dams can affect extensive areas of otter habitats, not only along river corridors.
Because otters are largely nocturnal, solitary and in many areas considered rare, the assessment of population numbers will, if practical, prove to be very expensive. In most cases, therefore, assessments tend to be based on indirect methods. While many of these methods have been well tested, the interpretation of the data is dependant on an understanding of the ecology of the species and on the methods bias. Because of this it can be difficult to determine proper mitigation and, where necessary, adequate compensation.
To be able to undertake a sound environmental impact assessment for otters, the work should only be undertaken by experts with an understanding of the ecology of otters as well as knowledge of the methodologies used – including assumptions and limitations that have to be made. Across Europe, this is and has not always been the case.
With the increasing demands for developments within habitats used by otters, e.g. hydro-electric dams, road construction, pipelines, fish farms etc., there is the challenge to ensure such assessments are based on a sound scientific basis.
The workshop brough together speakers who have experience of environmental impact assessments of otters in a number of varied projects and in different otter habitats.
The workshop was held nearby Cottbus (town Southeast of Berlin), an area where open brown coal mining has, in the past, led to a significant deterioration in the quality of otter habitat. Currently measures are in place to mitigate these detrimental effects. During the workshop there was an opportunity to visit this area and see the results of these measures.