Gland, Switzerland, (IUCN) Following an announcement made today at a roundtable discussion at the IUCN Headquarters, the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies (Shell) became the first group in the oil and gas sector to declare natural World Heritage sites 'no go' areas.
Speaking at a roundtable discussion hosted by IUCN and UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Sir Philip Watts, Chairman and CEO of Shell, presented initiatives and commitments the company has undertaken to incorporate biodiversity into its business processes. In particular, Sir Philip said Shell will not explore or develop oil and gas resources within natural World Heritage sites, such as the Galapagos Islands or the Victoria Falls.
IUCN Director General, Achim Steiner, said: "Environmental and social conflicts related to oil and gas exploration have escalated in recent years. It is essential that companies make public and credible commitments to address these issues. IUCN welcomes Shell's announcement as an important step along a path that should eventually lead to the private sector endorsing the principles which underlie the international IUCN Protected Areas Category system and, in particular, the provision for protected areas of the highest value."
IUCN has looked at this issue under a broader spectrum of activities relating to 'extractive industries and biodiversity'. It has worked with several of its members and oil & gas companies in the Energy and Biodiversity Initiative to explore best practice guidelines. As part of a structured dialogue with Shell, IUCN also provided advice over a two year period on Shell's corporate biodiversity strategy.
IUCN's objective has been to explore the potential for private sector corporations such as Shell to complement the Union's work with Governments which set the national and international regulatory frameworks.
Under this umbrella work on "extractive industries and biodiversity", IUCN and its membership developed guidelines for oil and gas exploration and production in key ecosystems, such as mangroves, the arctic- and sub-arctic regions as well as the tropics, and it continues to work on guidelines for mining in arid and semi-arid lands.
The dialogue with extractive industries will be the subject of deliberation at the forthcoming Vth IUCN World Parks Congress - the world's most significant gathering on protected areas held every ten years - which will take place from 8 - 17 September 2003 in Durban, South Africa.
"There is clearly willingness on the part of some companies to respond to the call of the environmental community to make conservation an explicit commitment in terms of their corporate responsibility. In the months and years ahead we will need to monitor these commitments on the ground," Steiner concluded.
For more information contact:
IUCN Communications
Xenya Cherny
E-mail: xenya.cherny@iucn.org
Web: http://www.iucn.org
Created in 1948, IUCN - The World Conservation Union brings together 75 States, 108 government agencies, over 750 NGOs, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. IUCN's mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
IUCN is the world's largest environmental knowledge network and has helped over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity strategies. IUCN is a multicultural, multilingual organization with 1000 staff located in 62 countries. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.
IUCN: http://www.iucn.org
Speaking at a roundtable discussion hosted by IUCN and UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Sir Philip Watts, Chairman and CEO of Shell, presented initiatives and commitments the company has undertaken to incorporate biodiversity into its business processes. In particular, Sir Philip said Shell will not explore or develop oil and gas resources within natural World Heritage sites, such as the Galapagos Islands or the Victoria Falls.
IUCN Director General, Achim Steiner, said: "Environmental and social conflicts related to oil and gas exploration have escalated in recent years. It is essential that companies make public and credible commitments to address these issues. IUCN welcomes Shell's announcement as an important step along a path that should eventually lead to the private sector endorsing the principles which underlie the international IUCN Protected Areas Category system and, in particular, the provision for protected areas of the highest value."
IUCN has looked at this issue under a broader spectrum of activities relating to 'extractive industries and biodiversity'. It has worked with several of its members and oil & gas companies in the Energy and Biodiversity Initiative to explore best practice guidelines. As part of a structured dialogue with Shell, IUCN also provided advice over a two year period on Shell's corporate biodiversity strategy.
IUCN's objective has been to explore the potential for private sector corporations such as Shell to complement the Union's work with Governments which set the national and international regulatory frameworks.
Under this umbrella work on "extractive industries and biodiversity", IUCN and its membership developed guidelines for oil and gas exploration and production in key ecosystems, such as mangroves, the arctic- and sub-arctic regions as well as the tropics, and it continues to work on guidelines for mining in arid and semi-arid lands.
The dialogue with extractive industries will be the subject of deliberation at the forthcoming Vth IUCN World Parks Congress - the world's most significant gathering on protected areas held every ten years - which will take place from 8 - 17 September 2003 in Durban, South Africa.
"There is clearly willingness on the part of some companies to respond to the call of the environmental community to make conservation an explicit commitment in terms of their corporate responsibility. In the months and years ahead we will need to monitor these commitments on the ground," Steiner concluded.
For more information contact:
IUCN Communications
Xenya Cherny
E-mail: xenya.cherny@iucn.org
Web: http://www.iucn.org
Created in 1948, IUCN - The World Conservation Union brings together 75 States, 108 government agencies, over 750 NGOs, and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership. IUCN's mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
IUCN is the world's largest environmental knowledge network and has helped over 75 countries to prepare and implement national conservation and biodiversity strategies. IUCN is a multicultural, multilingual organization with 1000 staff located in 62 countries. Its headquarters are in Gland, Switzerland.
IUCN: http://www.iucn.org