Title:
Marine Environmental Baseline Survey (EBS) and Impact Assessment (EIA) for the construction of the “Hyperion Limassol”
Duration:
7 months (February – August 2024)
Partners:
Nicolaides & Associates Ltd
Funded by:
Private entity
Project Description:
The Hyperion project will involve the construction of a 140 m tall ferris wheel in the area of the Old Port of Limassol, which is managed by the Cyprus Ports Authority. The construction site will be adjacent to the southern side of the jetty of the Old Port of Limassol and will be surrounded by a seaward breakwater. This project acts as a continuation of the development of the Old Port and Limassol Marina area, which have seen increasing numbers of visitors and tourists.
In total, the proposed project will result in the land reclamation of an area of 4036 m2 from the sea area for its construction. Therefore, it’s crucial to recognize that such development poses potential risks to the marine ecosystem, underscoring the importance of conducting thorough environmental studies and implementing appropriate mitigation strategies to prevent adverse impacts. As mandated by the law, specifically, Annex II of the Directive on the Assessment of the Effects of Certain Plans and Programmes on the Environment Law (2023), the project adheres to the legal requirements outlined in Article 11 of the law detailing “Marine and Terrestrial theme parks”.
Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Lab was contracted to undertake the EBS and EIA related to the marine environment for the construction of the Hyperion.
The marine EBS encompassed gathering existing bibliographic data and collecting primary data through field surveys carried out in spring 2024. These surveys focused on nearshore areas and key ecosystems and involved:
- Sediment analyses included assessment for heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Fe, and Zn), TBT, Total P and Total N, organic matter (OM), and grain-size analysis (granulometry).
- Water Analysis for nutrients (K, P, N), E. coli, enterococci, turbidity, total suspended solids, Chl-a, and heavy metals, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Fe and Zn.
- Sampling and analysis of benthic macrofauna.
- Underwater biodiversity censuses, identifying macro-species with a focus on protected and endangered species.
- Habitat mapping focusing on Posidonia oceanica meadows, matte, soft and hard substrate and validation with ground-truthing data obtained from a tow camera.
- Ecological assessments using specific biological indicators to evaluate the health status of the marine ecosystems. These include the Posidonia Rapid Easy Index (PREI), using the seagrass oceanica as a biological indicator, the Ecological evaluation index (EEI-c), which utilises macroalgae to provide insights into overall ecosystem health, and the BENTIX index, which uses macrofauna species to reflect the ecological status of soft-bottom.
The EIA included:
- Assessment of the construction and operational impacts on vital marine biological features.
- Mitigation strategies to minimize environmental impacts.
- The proposal of monitoring protocols, whereas deemed necessary.