Integrating Biodiversity Conservation into Oil and Gas ... - EBI

8. CONCLUSION
Ensuring that oil and gas exploration and production
activities proceed in a manner that is compatible with
biodiversity conservation and responsible business
practice will require a reassessment of business
management systems and decision-making frameworks,
within the context of an increasing focus on sustainable
development. Only by thoroughly integrating biodiversity
considerations into policies, systems, operations and
decision-making frameworks will biodiversity become
a regular part of business risk assessments, in much the
same way that issues such as safety or emissions control
are familiar and accepted factors today.
The EBI believes it is in the interests of the energy
industry and society to continually work toward achieving
this integration. Each company has a different set of
values, principles and policies, each is at a different point
along the path of integrating biodiversity into its systems
and operations, and each will progress at a different rate
toward achieving effective consideration of biodiversity
issues. Companies also operate in different parts of
the world and encounter a wide range of approaches
to regulating the environmental impacts of oil and gas
development. Thus, each company will need to adapt
its existing business procedures, based on a process of
prioritization of needs and potential risks and benefits.
This includes the EBI companies, for whom this is
also still a “work in progress.” Each is starting from a
different point in developing its internal biodiversity
policies and programs. As such, each company has
different needs and priorities for addressing the
individual recommendations below, and none is
necessarily likely to fully implement them all.
The path toward achieving this integration should
be a joint effort among companies, conservation
organizations, governments, communities and
other stakeholders. Energy companies can mobilize
considerable corporate expertise, influence and
resources for biodiversity conservation, but they cannot
and should not be expected to take all the necessary
actions on their own. Rather, companies, governments,
conservation organizations and communities can work
together to develop tools, resources, guidelines and case
studies that will further promote full consideration of
biodiversity conservation issues wherever oil and gas
resources are developed.
8.1 RECOMMENDATIONS
To encourage progress in integrating biodiversity
conservation into upstream oil and gas development, the
EBI recommends that:
1. Companies and conservation organizations view
biodiversity conservation as an integral part of
sustainable development.
2. Energy companies are familiar with the Convention on
Biological Diversity, understand its implications for
their industry, and contribute to its implementation.
3. Energy companies and conservation organizations
work together in partnership to integrate
biodiversity conservation into upstream oil and gas
development.
4. Energy companies and conservation organizations
share information on biodiversity and make
that information available in the public domain,
whenever possible.
5. Stakeholder engagement that includes biodiversity
considerations begins as early as possible and
continues throughout the project lifecycle.
Engagement is particularly important during impact
assessment, indicator development and evaluation of
opportunities to benefit biodiversity conservation.
6. Where project development proceeds, it does so,
where possible, in the context of a general plan for
conservation and sustainable development on an
appropriate geographic scale. Energy companies and
conservation organizations participate with other
key stakeholders in government-led spatial/regional
land-use planning processes to map out priorities
for biodiversity conservation and sustainable
economic development.
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Integrating Biodiversity Conservation into Oil and Gas Development