Repsol YPF

Working in sensitive areas

One of Repsol YPF`s priorites is to improve information relating natural resources and biodiversity conservation in the areas in which the company operates. The signing of the UNEP-WCMC agreement to participate in the Proteus project has been a significant step forward in this direction, as it allowed access the WDPA database, the most complete worldwide database on protected land and marine areas.

In 2007, in line with this agreement, the company began to design and develop the Repsol YPF Biodiversity Information System (SIBRY). This is a geographical information system (GIS) that will enable the WDPA information on protected areas to be incorporated and combined with data on facilities and other specific information, such as georeferenced data layers.

The development of this project will provide a consistent and updated tool for environmental risk diagnosis and biodiversity management, both for existing projects and for new areas under evaluation or where activities are planned. For Repsol YPF, knowing and assuming its most significant impacts on biodiversity is not an easy task. The activities of the petroleum and gas industries can have negative impacts, both primary and secondary, that can differ in terms of cause, scope, scale, intensity and responsibility limits.

The main activities carried out by Repsol YPF in areas adjacent to, or within protected areas that are classified as category I-IV by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are here listed:

Another priority in Repsol YPF is to prevent and minimize the impact of its activities, taking into account the specific characteristics of the environments in which its facilities are set, with the aim of conserving and, where necessary, restoring the natural environment. The following is a description of the most significant potential impacts associated with exploration and production activities.

Potential direct negative impacts:

Seismic, Exploration Perforations, Construction and Onshore Production: disturbances to the fauna by noise and occupation, clearing of vegetation, habitat fragmentation, alteration of landscapes, changes in hydrologic flow paths, soil and water pollution, rise in risk of soil erosion, increase in GHG emissions. 
  
Seismic, Exploration Perforations, Construction and Offshore Production: disturbances to marine and bird life, disturbances to bentonic populations and sediments, contamination as a result of accidental spills, permanent alteration of seabed habitats.

Potential indirect negative impacts: 

Construction of paths and ducts: increase in the impacts on flora and fauna caused by the access and migration of populations to remote areas and by the activities carried out by these populations: agriculture, hunting, fishing, wood extraction, etc.

Generation of employment: large-scale E&P projects can lead to a growth in local populations, associated with increased pressure on natural resources and biodiversity in the area.

Introduction of invasive species: the introduction of non-native invasive species through the transportation of equipment, such as ducts and oil derricks, from other areas or ecosystems, can have an impact on local flora and fauna and lead to a reduction in native species.