Impact Assessment for Nicaragua Canal Raises Serious Concerns

In the recent feature “A Nation Divided”(15 January 2016, p. 220), you report on Nicaragua’s proposed Interoceanic Canal, a mega-project with enormous potential consequences. As members of a panel convened by the Nicaragua Academy of Sciences, we reviewed the project’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA)[1] and concluded that it is not sufficiently rigorous to adequately characterize impacts [2].However, the ESIA makes several important points that we believe have been mischaracterized by project proponents. The ESIA clearly states that the project is “fraught with risks” and unless a series of conditions are met,“Nicaragua may be worse off than doing nothing.” Its main recommendations are to 1)“confirm preliminary impact conclusions” with additional data and analysis; 2)“optimize project design” on locks, ports, dams, and excavation/sediment disposal (all major project elements); 3 …