1.Front section - IUCN

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Friends for Life: New partners in support of protected areas
ensure that any benefits arising are shared fairly and
equitably in the source country. Benefits are likely to
be maximized when the governments create incentives
for new, varied and equitable partnerships based on the
use of biological resources. One advantage of modern
biotechnology is that only modest amounts of living
materials, sometimes only a few grams, are required to
capture the genes necessary for research and
development, ensuring a negligible impact on the
protected areas where such collecting is permitted
(Prescott-Allen and Prescott-Allen, 1984).
Oil, gas and minerals
As global demand grows for energy and minerals,
mining, oil and gas exploration is expanding into
some of the world’s most fragile ecosystems within or
near to the boundaries of protected areas (Rössler,
2000). This trend, while promising significant
economic opportunities for both companies and host
governments, brings with it risks to important
biodiversity. Energy and mining companies are often
economic pioneers in relatively undeveloped areas
and their presence can lead to further economic and
social activities, including migration, spontaneous
settlement, agricultural conversion and infrastructure
development that put additional pressure on natural
resources and can cause even more harm to
biodiversity.
Technological advances have led to a vast
improvement in environmental management at
mining and oil and gas projects and many potential
environmental impacts can now be overcome.
Companies do have limits to their ability to manage
impacts outside of their concessions, and forming
partnerships with conservation organizations can help
them expand their scope for benefiting biodiversity.
Governments and NGOs concerned about
biodiversity conservation, development opportunities
for local communities, and rights of indigenous
people are paying greater attention to companies
choosing to operate in or near protected areas. In
2000, the IUCN World Conservation Congress
recommended that ‘IUCN’s State members ….
Prohibit by law, all exploration and extraction of
mineral resources in protected areas corresponding to
IUCN Protected Area Management Categories I–IV’.
This pressure can result in access to reserves being
denied or restricted and opposition from local
communities constraining production operations. For
example, Shell production in Nigeria was cut to 40%
of capacity due to opposition and sabotage from local
communities (Austin and Sauer, 2002).
As both the protected area system and mineral
exploration continue to expand, areas of potential
conflict are also likely to increase and the case for the
conservation community to engage the extractive
industries becomes more compelling.
The long-term nature of oil, gas, and mineral
development projects presents an opportunity for
companies and civil society organizations to work in
partnership to mobilize resources and together direct
their efforts towards conservation within an
appropriate time scale. Socially responsible energy
and mining companies can demonstrate their
commitment to support protected areas by catalysing
the involvement of government agencies,
conservation and development organizations, and
communities to stem the decline of biodiversity
through systematic planning at a regional scale.
Careful planning can accommodate both the
biodiversity values of protected areas and the need for
economic development from mineral extraction.
Because hydrocarbon and mineral development
projects have a life of many decades, it is possible for
much of the initial harm done to biodiversity to be
ameliorated. In some cases, benefits to biodiversity
may even be enhanced; for example, companies can
manage their concession as de facto protected areas.
Moreover, conservation efforts initiated or
championed by a company can benefit from a
sustainable flow of funding and political support.
Hunting/fishing
The luxury market for consumptive use of certain
charismatic mammals, birds and fish is increasing.
Trophy and sport hunters and fishers are willing to
pay large sums to be able to obtain a lion, mountain
sheep, ocellated turkey, tarpon, or steelhead trout.
Often the animal population from which the
hunted/fished individual is obtained is found in or
near a protected area and all too often none of the
money paid by the hunter returns to help ensure the
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