Shell and protected areas
Respecting protected areas is part of our Group Biodiversity Standard. In 2003 we made specific commitments to contribute to the protection and maintenance of protected areas and more recently we committed to following strict operating practices in areas of high biodiversity value.
Our approach to protected areas and areas of high biodiversity value is summarised in the figure below.
In August 2003 we announced the following four commitments as a supplement to our Biodiversity Standard:
1. We will not explore for, or develop, oil and gas resources in natural World Heritage Sites. We are the first energy company to publicly declare where we will not operate. We recognise the universal value that these sites represent for society.
2. We will further upgrade our operational practices wherever we operate in IUCN Category I-IV protected areas or where an impact assessment (IA) (including environmental, social and health considerations) indicates high biodiversity values. Our actions include spatial/regional planning exercises, assessment of our secondary impacts, implementation of Biodiversity Action Plans, and undertaking appropriate baseline and monitoring studies.
3. We will publicly report on our activities in IUCN Categories I-IV. For more details see below.
4. We will work with IUCN and others to develop and pilot ways of strengthening the management effectiveness of protected areas through the provision of key skills, creation of sustainable livelihoods and by exploring options for sustainable financing.
Biodiversity Action Plans
A Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) is a plan to conserve or enhance biodiversity"; it includes a set of future actions that will lead to the conservation or enhancement of biodiversity. BAPs help us define targets, monitor progress and comply with our Biodiversity Standard.
We use guidance from IPIECA/OGP 
('A Guide to Developing Biodiversity Action Plans for the Oil and Gas Sector' (PDF, size 783Kb - opens in a new window) as the basis for developing our BAPs. We are also developing training programmes to help operations implement them.
By the end of March 2006, all Shell-operated companies in IUCN Category I-IV Protected Areas had BAPs in place. In 2006 the commitment to prepare BAPs was extended to operations in areas of high biodiversity value in which we have major installations. By the end of 2007 all Shell-operated companies that operate in such areas should have a BAP in place.
Operating in protected areas
Shell sees the need for pragmatic, yet innovative approaches when it comes to addressing biodiversity conservation in protected areas.
We recognise the years of hard work invested by the conservation community to establish and maintain protected areas, and see these areas as an important component to deliver conservation objectives set out in international conventions. We believe there are some areas too sensitive to operate in, in particular natural World Heritage Sites.
However we also feel that through a transparent process, partnerships and stringent operating practices, it is possible to operate responsibly in some areas under protection or of high biodiversity value.
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Categories I-IV protected areas
Following a review in 2005 of our business activities against the 2003 UN List of Protected Areas and the 2005 World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA - the most comprehensive dataset on protected areas worldwide), we identified four Shell-operated companies with activities in six IUCN Category I-IV Protected Areas:
| Name of protected area | IUCN Category | Shell business unit, Country | Type of activity (1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ameland Nature Conservation Area | IV | NAM, Netherlands | Production facility, pipeline |
| Dollard Nature Conservation Area | III | NAM, Netherlands | Monitoring well |
| Gilli-Gilli Game Reserve | IV | Shell petroleum Development Corporation, Nigeria | Seismic survey, pipelines, wellheads |
| Urhonigbe | Ia | Shell petroleum Development Corporation, Nigeria | Wellheads, pipelines and flowstation |
| Anduki Forest Reserve | Ia | Brunei Shell Petroleum Company, Brunei | Wells |
| Delta | IV | Shell Oil, US | Pipeline |
Note: (1) Refers to current production activities and infrastructure for current or future production and transportation of hydrocarbons. This also includes exploratory activities and regular visits to the area, for example, for pipeline inspections, or reservoir monitoring through monitoring wells.
We participate in the 'Speaking a Common Language' (opens in a new window) research programme, which assess the ways in which IUCN protected area management categories can be used to further conservation action on the ground.
Areas of high biodiversity value
In 2006 the commitment to prepare BAPs in IUCN Category I-IV protected areas was extended to operations in areas of high biodiversity value in which we have major installations.
Major installations include all crude oil and natural gas production platforms, export terminals, gas plants, offshore platforms, major flow stations, floating production and storage vessels, major crude oil and products storage facilities, refineries and chemicals manufacturing facilities and major pipelines.
Shell has defined areas of high biodiversity value as areas that meet one or more of the following criteria:
- IUCN Category I-VI protected areas - opens in a new window
- Wetlands of International Importance - opens in a new window, designated under the Ramsar Convention.
- Natura 2000 sites - opens in a new window, as determined under the European Birds and Habitats Directives
- Important Bird Areas - opens in a new window (IBAs) as defined by Birdlife International.
- Biosphere Reserves - opens in a new window, designated under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme
By the end of 2007 all Shell companies that operate in areas of high biodiversity value are required to have a BAP.
Other areas
In addition, operating companies should specifically consider the merits of a BAP in other areas not identified as such using the above criteria. Such areas would include those supporting species included as Endangered or Critically Endangered in the 2006 IUCN Red List (opens in a new window) of Threatened Species and areas that are generally considered as vulnerable (such as coral reef beds; mangrove forests; peat forests; peat bogs; tundra/taiga (permafrost); estuaries; tidal flats).
→ Shell Sustainability Report 2006
Visit the online Shell Sustainability Report 2006 and discover what we say about biodiversity.
