Biodiversity and the Oil Industry: Emerging Trends

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Best practices are emerging for identifying potential issues early and avoiding or mitigating impacts with advance planning. Some
oil companies have issued biodiversity policies and standards, publicly committing to avoiding operations in some types of protected areas, or sensitive, biodiverse areas. Many have also announced they have re-designed decision-making processes to consider biodiversity impacts more routinely and systematically
throughout their business activities.

On a widespread basis, oil companies are increasingly acknowledging the conservation of biodiversity as a corporate goal and responsibility. Whatever your company's commitment, early and broad-based access to biodiversity information can help support your goals for protecting or operating more sensitively in areas of high biodiversity value.

It's a responsibility that makes good business sense as well. Some of the motivations for oil companies to operate sensitively and consider biodiversity include:

• Reduced operational risk from unforeseen costs of unanticipated environmental issues
• Improved reputation within network of national oil ministries, thereby improving access to reserves
• Protection of brand and corporate image

User Scenarios for the Biodiversity Module

Having access to the spatial display of the "footprint," or aerial extent, of a planned or operating O&G project – in the same view as the boundaries of sensitive areas – enables more decision-makers to use the data much earlier in their business processes.

Processes benefiting from integrated E&P and biodiversity data include:

• Early screening for new ventures and exploration potential, including pipeline and transportation route impacts
• Early stakeholder engagement in sensitive areas where E&P activities could adversely impact local communities
• Early identification of primary and secondary impacts of on-going development projects
• Assistance to environmental impact analyses and studies
• Benchmarking and reporting on licensed and operating areas in adherence to established or developing company environmental goals or standards
• Emergency response planning (e.g. oil spill response)
• Improved ability to monitor the growth of the global protected areas network and its potential interactions with company business operations

For more information on protected areas, visit one of these links:

• What's in the Biodiversity Module
• www.unep-wcmc.org/collaborations/IHS/index.htm