Technology Cooperation and Capacity Building - CommDev

TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION AND CAPACITY BUILDING… Case Study TwelveIPIECA in the international community65 00'64 50'64 40'32 30'BermudaLandShallow reefal areasReef crests20m isobathDive sitesProtected areas32 30'32 20'32 20'WORLD CONSERVATIONMONITORING CENTRE0 5 10km65 00'64 50'64 40'Two of the many IPIECA publications relating to global climate changeto small and medium-sized businesses outside the energy sector.This and the other publications are one expression of theindustry’s attention to climate change and its commitment topursuing the ‘no regrets’ options which have the potential tomitigate any man-made enhanced greenhouse effect.BiodiversityThe oil industry recognises the importance of environmentaland biodiversity protection and the potential impact of itsactivities on biological systems. For this reason, IPIECA isinvolved in the Biodiversity Convention process, seeking toidentify how best to contribute and make available theexpertise of the oil industry.In this context, IPIECA is involved in a partnership withthe World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC).WCMC was founded jointly by UNEP, the WorldConservation Union (IUCN) and the World Wide Fund forNature (WWF) to establish a global centre as a repository ofecological data. WCMC’s mission is to support conservationand sustainable development by providing geographicallyreferenced information on the world’s biological diversity.The WCMC/IPIECA project, initiated in 1990 by BP,aims to make the huge quantity of data held by WCMC easilyaccessible to an international audience. The outcome was thedevelopment of a Geographic Information System—theBiodiversity Map Library. This is a global database whichallows easy access to ecosystem conservation data, and createsand prints out maps displaying the data as required.The Biodiversity Map Library includes data on tropicalExample from WCMC’s Biodiversity Map Libraryforests, mangroves, coral reefs, wetlands, marine mammals,sea turtles, protected areas, vegetation cover and ecosystems.The system is designed to provide environment planners anddecision makers with geographically-referenced informationuseful for their work. It has many potential uses, particularlyfor risk assessment, strategic planning, land use studies andemergency response.TransportationThe management of transport-related emissions is a growingpreoccupation in many of the rapidly expanding cities aroundthe world. The industry has been closely associated with theevolution of auto emission control legislation during the past20 years, especially in North America and Europe. Theseexperiences were captured in an issue paper published in 1993by IPIECA, The Contribution of Automotive Transport Options tothe Management of Air Quality in the Developing Economies.This was the first contribution to the science technology andpolicy debate from the international oil industry.IPIECA is now preparing to extend its contribution. Afirst step will be the preparation of a report series throughwhich to share its in-depth experience of all aspects of themanagement of automotive emissions. The second step willbe to organize communication fora in the many regions ofthe world now facing the challenge of automotive emissionsmanagement for the first time. This will enable the benefit ofbest practices to be shared in ways most appropriate tocountries’ particular circumstances.61