- Western Canada
- Oil Sands
- Arctic
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Land Management and Biodiversity
Growing cities, populations and economies, and the infrastructure, agriculture and industries needed to support them, have led to increased and often competing demands on the land. People travelling across or flying over Western Canada witness the progressive loss of undisturbed land to roads, agriculture, cutlines and homes. This increased development impacts plant and animal species.
An integrated and collaborative approach to land management supports the management of multiple demands on the land while minimizing potential environmental impacts. We are working with our stakeholders to better manage our footprint at all stages of our operations, exploring offsets and maintaining active and ongoing involvement in land-use planning.
Activity Related to Biodiversity
We strive to manage our operations in a manner that demonstrates how natural resource development can be in harmony with society's need to preserve biodiversity. This expectation, outlined in ConocoPhillips' global biodiversity position, dictates our integrated, collaborative and long-term management of biodiversity. Our work in this area includes:
- Developing action plans for projects located in areas of high conservation value - Our plan for managing our potential impact on the Little Smoky Caribou herd in west-central Alberta motivated our participation in the multi-stakeholder Alberta Caribou Committee. We also worked with other industrial operators through the Foothills Landscape Management Forum to coordinate development in the herd's range.
- Using widely available and effective planning tools to facilitate conservation - We use low-impact seismic techniques, where narrow, meandering lines are cut through the forest during exploration phases. A recent scientific research program from the University of Alberta found that these substantially smaller lines decreased impact on some migratory birds.
- Accelerating forest regeneration in the Athabasca oil sands region - We plant seedlings on historical exploration and delineation wells to return to a forested ecosystem.
- Exploring biodiversity offsets, where appropriate - We developed a draft Biodiversity Management Framework, including opportunities for applying biodiversity offsets. As a member company of the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative, we advocate for the development of government policy for implementing biodiversity offsets (also known as conservation offsets in Alberta).
- Linking biodiversity offsets with greenhouse gas emission reduction - While we advocate for minimizing potential impacts to biodiversity through innovative approaches, we need to build our experience in biodiversity offset programs. We will explore a variety of projects and initiatives, including a potential demonstration project.
Species at Risk Act
The Species at Risk Act is federal legislation intended to protect plant and animal species and their habitats that are deemed to be at risk. ConocoPhillips Canada supports the protection of species at risk and continues to engage with regulators and other stakeholders on ways to do so effectively. We support research programs for at-risk species, such as woodland caribou and burrowing owl, and work closely with multi-stakeholder groups on developing effective species recovery and management plans.
Regional Planning
Industries, communities and the infrastructure that supports them, impact the land in different ways. We encourage stakeholders to work together to understand those impacts and find solutions not just individually, but cumulatively. We are long-time supporters and advocates for regional planning initiatives, including the Alberta Land Use Framework and regional planning initiatives in British Columbia. In 2008 and 2009, this included:
- Ongoing and active involvement in land-management forums, including the Regional Advisory Council for the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan, co-chairing the Cumulative Environmental Management Association's Sustainable Ecosystem Working Group (2006–2009) and representing the energy sector on the Athabasca Landscape Team and the governance board of the Alberta Caribou Committee.
- Actively supporting the advancement of the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute as a key means of providing important monitoring results to support ongoing regional land management.
- Supporting a triad approach (protected, extensive, intensive) to land management through a letter to the Cumulative Environmental Management Association during their work on the Terrestrial Ecosystem Management Framework.
- Providing our input on a conservation offset policy to the Deputy Minister of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development through a letter from the Oil Sands Leadership Initiative. Offsets have been used successfully for years to help recover wetlands from past agricultural practices. Using offsets is one way to address the industry's cumulative linear footprint, which fragments habitat and can contribute to the decline of threatened species like woodland caribou.
- Continuing to participate in the Foothills Landscape Management Forum and play a lead role in the Enhanced Approvals Process project as well as the Regional Access Development planning in the Little Smoky and A La Peche caribou and grizzly bear ranges.
In 2010 and again in 2011, we will maintain a strong focus on regional planning and managing cumulative land impacts by:
- Participating in the advancement of region-specific (e.g. northeast Alberta) terrestrial monitoring programs. These programs encompass and build on Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute approaches and address species at risk.
- Advocating regulatory reform to best leverage the use of regional cumulative assessments to provide full context for considering activity or project approvals.
