The mineral extraction and associated production industries have formed an essential core of the economic development sector throughout the world. At the same time, developments of large extractive industries and production units have threatened the integrity of many natural ecosystems and have posed major challenges to conservation of biodiversity resources.

The benefits of using environmental impact assessment as an effective planning tool for integrating environmental concerns in developmental planning can sometimes fall short in fully addressing biodiversity concerns and in resolving conservation versus developmental issues. The merits of stand alone ecological assessments are well acknowledged in mainstreaming biodiversity related concerns that still remain a neglected subject in most environmental impact assessment reports for informed decision-making.

In response to the directives of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India, the Wildlife Institute of India undertook the task of Ecological Assessment of Cement plant and Captive Limestone Mine of M/s Harish Cements. The project is proposed to be located near Sundernagar township of District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

This short term yet focused attempt to conduct an ecological impact assessment of the above project has accomplished the identification of a range of project induced impacts and a review of the available choices for steering conservation through the implementation of well-conceived and pragmatic approaches for mitigation of impacts linked to the proposed developmental initiative.

(P.R. Sinha)
Director, WII