The Island Conservation Society (ICS) has welcomed the government’s decision to halt development activities on Assumption Island, claiming there were findings of non-compliance with the approved Environmental Impact Assessment (ESIA).
ICS, which authored the ESIA for the project, said the Ministry of Environment’s prohibition order followed several unmet conditions in the ESIA and the Notice of Acceptance (NOA). The organisation said it considered the decision an important step in addressing the breaches. According to ICS, environmental harm has already occurred due to failures to implement mitigation measures outlined in the ESIA.
It said the suspension of work could allow for immediate assessment and rehabilitation of affected areas on the island. The organisation highlighted that completing a full biodiversity assessment remains one of the core requirements of the ESIA.
ICS said that without a comprehensive survey covering different seasons, it is not possible to determine whether future operations on the island may pose additional risks beyond those linked to construction.
ICS said development and nature conservation could proceed together if measures set out in the ESIA and supporting documents are fully applied during both the construction and operational phases.
It added that it is prepared to support the government and developers to ensure compliance with ESIA and NOA conditions. The organisation also said it had previously been excluded from oversight of biodiversity assessments and the biosecurity management plan but now looks forward to taking part in the ongoing processes with other stakeholders.