Calendar11 December 2024

This 3-day workshop and field trip in Abu Dhabi, facilitated by IUCN and hosted by ADNOC, brought together 42 energy professionals to share biodiversity knowledge and build expertise.

The fifth Ipieca biodiversity and ecosystems service (BES) peer-to-peer workshop brought together 42 oil, gas and alternative energy professionals from 10 companies to raise awareness of BES issues and share the latest knowledge, good practices and tools to protect and enhance biodiversity.

The Ipieca workshop - which was open to all energy companies, not just Ipieca member companies – was facilitated by IUCN and hosted by ADNOC in Abu Dhabi from 19 to 21 November. The workshop was followed by a site visit to the Al Jubail Mangrove Park, where participants could see biodiversity and carbon stock management in action and reflect on the practical applications of the skills and practices discussed during the workshop.

IUCN’s Global Head of Conservation Assurance Liza Murphy, who facilitated the workshop, said: ‘The workshop has been a great experience for two main reasons: the variety of experience and insights shared by the participants and the impressive levels of expertise, thoughtfulness and effort by all involved. It has been a pleasure to share information and learn from the participants. Thank you to Ipieca and ADNOC.’

Workshop participant, Shell Nigeria Lead, Projects and Technical for the Ogoni Restoration Project, Oke Ogun commented: ‘The BES peer-to-peer workshop was a great mix of experiences, and above all a thought-provoking event that sparked hope in my heart that together we can make a difference. From the workshop, I found the case studies and hypothetical exercises really useful and the visit to the Al Jubail Mangrove Park a once in a lifetime experience.’

What did the workshop cover?

The workshop content was delivered through a mixture of lectures, discussions, interactive quizzes, a hypothetical scenarios and case studies.

In addition to IUCN facilitation, the workshop sessions were led by biodiversity experts from Ipieca member companies ADNOC, ExxonMobil, INPEX, Petrobras, PETRONAS, PTTEP, and Shell, with the topics covered including:

  • Building the business case for BES
  • The importance of local communities and other stakeholders
  • Environmental, social and health impact assessments
  • BES scoping
  • BES baseline assessments
  • Management and mitigation of BES impacts and dependencies
  • BES monitoring, reporting and disclosure
  • Integrating BES management into governance and business processes

Key workshop takeaways

  • All businesses impact and/or depend on biodiversity, either directly or through their supply chains
  • Inclusive, two-way stakeholder engagement is key to how companies assess and successfully manage biodiversity ecosystem services
  • Adopting a biodiversity and ecosystems services perspective can bring various benefits to the energy sector, such as reducing risks, and creating new business opportunities
  • The environmental, social and health impact assessment process is a critical tool for managing biodiversity and ecosystems services impacts and dependencies, and energy companies should follow it systematically
  • Effective BES management requires the integration of BES considerations into governance and business processes, including decision-making and risk management
  • The application of the mitigation hierarchy is good practice, regardless of regulatory or financial requirements. The early steps of the mitigation hierarchy (avoid and minimise) are particularly important and set the stage for the rest of the project
  • Monitoring, reporting, and disclosure of BES management practices and their impacts are crucial for demonstrating accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement

View and download Ipieca biodiversity guidance, tools and resources.

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