The Energy & Biodiversity Initiative
The principal purpose of this document is to offer appropriate guidance on the integration of biodiversity into an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). As such, it contains neither a general review of ESIAs, nor recommendations for the creation of a new type of ESIA process, focusing instead on the steps and actions necessary to accomplish the proper integration of biodiversity. Underpinning these steps and actions is the principle that, based on an appropriate risk assessment, biodiversity should be integrated into each relevant stage of the ESIA process by expanding the scope of analysis to include biodiversity characteristics, evaluating impacts holistically using a wider ecosystem approach as recommended in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and considering long-term and cumulative secondary impacts in addition to more immediate, primary impacts.
In some cases, the government rather than the company may set the type and extent of ESIA. This document is principally for use in situations where a company controls the ESIA. However, it may also be useful to companies providing input to a government-led ESIA and to governments seeking to better integrate biodiversity into their ESIA processes, particularly in those countries that do not have strong ESIA requirements, approval processes and mitigation standards.
Suggestions are made for the integration of biodiversity into seven key stages of the ESIA process:
- Identification of alternatives.
- Screening.
- Scoping.
- Baseline establishment.
- Evaluation (impact analysis).
- Development of mitigation options and implementation.
- Monitoring and adaptation.
Stakeholder engagement and the estimation of secondary and cumulative impacts are also considered, but as principles that underpin the ESIA process rather than as separate stages. There is a close relationship between social impacts and environmental/biodiversity impacts that must be accounted for when undertaking an ESIA.
Finally, the issue of divestiture is addressed: unless appropriately planned for, the termination of company operations may also result in a termination of valuable or necessary biodiversity conservation activities. This can have potentially significant adverse impacts on biodiversity, as well as on company reputation, long after termination of active oil and gas operations. Therefore, companies should consider addressing biodiversity issues at end point divestiture in their operational plans and through ESIA procedures.
