Managing impacts
The oil and gas industry recognizes that it must operate safely and responsibly, protect the natural environment and address concerns about its effects on local communities. Companies need to employ the technologies, management systems and operational practices that are appropriate to the circumstances.
|
Enabling environmental considerations to play a part in project decisions
|
A set of future actions that will lead to the conservation or enhancement of biodiversity
|
|
A key tool for managing oil and gas operations
|
A serious cause of biodiversity loss and environmental harm globally
|
|
Integrating biodiversity considerations into oil and gas development projects
|
Environmental impact assessments
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a useful tool to predict, assess and mitigate the possible impacts of a potential project so that environmental considerations can inform and be integrated into project decisions. Impact Assessment can help to inform the best practicable location, layout, design, phasing, use of technology, and management of development activities, so that significant negative impacts may be avoided, minimized or restored. The Convention on Biological Diversity, amongst others, recognizes EIAs as an important decision-support tool that can be used to integrate biodiversity values into the planning and implementation of development projects. Often, environmental considerations are integrated with social issues in Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) that highlight the interrelations between them. More recently, health issues have been included.
Biodiversity action plans
A biodiversity action plan (BAP) is a set of future actions that will lead to the conservation or enhancement of biodiversity. A BAP can be conducted as part of an EIA process or as a stand-alone initiative.
A BAP helps companies to:
- support biodiversity in areas where EIAs are not traditionally strong on ecological aspects;
- prioritize key issues within the project or operation;
- frame ecological baseline surveys;
- communicate and engage with stakeholders, using a transparent and documented approach; and
- identify opportunities for biodiversity enhancement and conservation.
IPIECA has developed a guide to BAPs which is designed to help health, safety and environment (HSE) professionals in the oil and gas industry and other relevant staff, e.g. those involved with project planning, develop biodiversity action plans for their sites and projects.
Biodiversity in risk management
Risk assessments are key tools for managing oil and gas operations, and should incorporate risks to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Companies are starting to identify the impacts, and dependence, of their business on biodiversity and ecosystem services as potential business risks that need to be managed. The Biodiversity Working Group is capturing member companies’ experience in this area.
Alien invasive species
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines an alien invasive species (AIS) as 'an alien species that becomes established in natural or semi-natural ecosystems and is an agent of change and threatens native biological diversity'.
AIS are an increasingly serious cause of biodiversity loss and environmental harm globally. Oil and gas activities such as exploration, production and transport have the potential to introduce AIS into new environments. Countless case studies demonstrate that it is costly, and in most cases impossible to eradicate established AIS. Prevention is therefore the most important aspect of management, and should feature at the feasibility stage before initial site visits.
The Energy and Biodiversity Initiative
In 2001, leading energy companies and international conservation organizations launched the Energy and Biodiversity Initiative (EBI) to integrate conservation practices into upstream oil and gas development.
Until it disbanded in 2007, the EBI produced practical guidelines and tools to help energy operations to improve their biodiversity performance. The tools focus on minimizing impacts to biodiversity and maximizing opportunities for conservation. In many ways, the ongoing work of the Biodiversity Working Group continues to pursue the goals of the EBI through the application of the EBI guidelines.
Categories:
- Biodiversity
