Page - 661 - in Book of Full Papers - Symposium Hydro Engineering

 Concept of ‘net gain’ in biodiversity in National Park The above decisions of the regulators were duly endorsed by the lenders who also advised Mira Power to update the original ESIA and resubmit to EPA and Lenders for public disclosure and approvals from investment committees and Board of directors. To meet the approvals of regulators and the lenders Mira Power carried out following additional studies/assessments:  Ecological Flow Assessment- based on revised design option  Detailed Socioeconomic Surveys  ESIA Update and Integration  Climate Change Risk Assessment All revised reports were resubmitted to Environment Protection Agency (EPA), AJK Fisheries and Wildlife Department (FWD) and lenders for their respective disclosure requirements and approvals. In this process Mira Power successfully managed unprecedented support from the major international NGOs including World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Himalayan Wildlife Foundation (HWF) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), regulators including EPA and FWD and other civil society and academic institutions. To discuss above efforts and potential outcome, a number of video conferences were managed where lenders’ experts, Mira Power and various other stakeholders/NGOs participated. Resultantly, subject to following further studies a conditional approval was granted by all lenders based on majority votes:  Feasibility Assessment for Achieving Net Gain  Biodiversity Monitoring and Evaluation Plan  Proposed Ecological Flow Management Plan  Mahaseer Hatchery Design and Restocking Program  Proposed Road Map for National Park Management Park (NPMP) Finally the BAP and ESIA were further updated upon completion of above studies and was requiring an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) to implement all the approved plans. The Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) was developed for the Poonch basin by the project in consultation with all stakeholders. The same is implemented through landmark agreement on a novel concept of public-private-partnership for conservation. An implementing agency, a renowned conservation NGO has been engaged with Government’s Fisheries & Wildlife Department to implement the BAP. A comprehensive BAP has been developed, outlining Pro2 scenario commitments to achieve net positive gain in the ecological values that triggered Critical Habitat classification, namely (a) Kashmir Catfish, (b) Mahaseer fish and 661