External initiatives
Initiatives relating to biodiversity and ecosystem services have proliferated in recent years, with leadership from institutions, academia and non-governmental organizations. Some initiatives focus on research, while others develop policy or assessment tools. This highly dynamic area is constantly evolving, and could lead to changes in the operating landscape for oil and gas companies.
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A major tool in the effort to conserve species and ecosystems
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Ensuring no net loss of biodiversity
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The benefits people obtain from ecosystems
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Protected areas and sensitive environments
Protected areas are a major tool in the effort to conserve species and ecosystems. They sometimes provide services (see below) that represent a sustainable use of natural resources.
Many countries have extensive systems of protected areas. These systems vary widely, because they have developed over many years and reflect differences in national needs, priorities, legislation and the levels of institutional and financial support they receive.
Several national and international mechanisms exist to identify and designate areas for protection. Examples of these include:
- national designations
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Convention
- Man and Biosphere Reserve Programme
- Natura 2000
In addition to nationally or internationally designated protected areas, mechanisms exist to categorize and prioritize areas of biodiversity significance. Examples of these include:
- Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs)
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- High Conservation Value (HCV)
- Alliance for Zero Extinction
- Biodiversity Hotspots
The oil and gas industry operates in some of the world’s most sensitive environments, including deserts, mangroves, wetlands, coral reefs, tropical rainforests, frozen tundra and rural areas inhabited by indigenous communities. Members of IPIECA and the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (OGP) recognize the importance of operating sustainably in sensitive environments and have a variety of case studies to share.
UNEP-WCMC in collaboration with IPIECA, the International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has developed The A-Z of Areas of Biodiversity Importance. This online one-stop information source on different aspects of biodiversity importance. It also provides detailed factsheets for all of the main types of recognized systems to assign and protect areas of biodiversity importance.
Biodiversity offsets
Biodiversity offsets are the actions or outcomes that compensate for the unavoidable residual impacts that development projects cause to biodiversity. They aim to ensure ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity.
Biodiversity offset initiatives, such as those listed below, are increasingly likely to play a role in future operations. They could enable industry to respond to growing global concern about biodiversity loss, the inclusion of biodiversity offsets in International Finance Corporation Performance Standard 6, and pressure from the Convention on Biological Diversity and a number of countries to protect biodiversity.
A number of non-governmental organizations are involved in work on biodiversity offsets, including:
Ecosystem services
Scientists and environmentalists have argued for decades that ecosystem services are important to human well-being. In 2004 the United Nations launched the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA). This four-year study involving more than 1,300 scientists worldwide assessed the status, trends and actions needed to tackle degradation and enhance the conservation and sustainable use of ecosystems.
Ecosystem services include provisioning services such as food and water; regulating services such as flood and disease control; cultural services such as spiritual, recreational, and cultural benefits; and supporting services such as nutrient cycling that maintain the conditions for life on Earth.
The Biodiversity Working Group has produced a brochure introducing an ecosystem approach to biodiversity conservation. It outlines implementation concepts and pitfalls to avoid. The group has also reviewed several emerging methodologies and tools the oil and gas industry can use to assess ecosystem services. Ecosystem management may be a practical way of integrating Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BES) into existing tools and processes.
Categories:
- Biodiversity
