Protecting biodiversity: a matter of best practices
An interview with Pippa Howard, director of the Business & Biodiversity programme at Fauna & Flora International.
by
Eni Staff
06 November 2020
6 min read
by
Eni Staff
06 November 2020
6 min read
Pippa Howard has worked with Eni’s Upstream team since she joined Fauna & Flora International (FFI) in 2008. FFI is one of the world’s longest-established biodiversity conservation organisations and has been collaborating with Eni since 2003. Its work includes identifying risks to biodiversity and the ecosystem in the company’s exploration and production activities across the globe and assessing the impact of projects throughout their whole lifecycle. For FFI, the partnership has been fundamental to the delivery of its strategy to engage businesses in implementing best practice approaches to the avoidance of and management impacts to BES.
What is the value of the partnership between Eni and FFI? Why is it beneficial for both of them to work together?
The partnership has been fundamental to the delivery of FFI’s strategy to engage businesses in implementing best practice approaches to the avoidance of and management impacts to BES. Given Eni’s desire to engage and improve BES throughout their global operations and to develop a distinctive BES management system, FFI has been able to work directly with over 14 E&P onshore and offshore subsidiaries across all geographies of Eni’s operations and contribute to company-wide BES management practices. The partnership was built on guiding principles that include the common reference framework of the Energy and Biodiversity Initiative (EBI)1 guidelines, an open-minded dialogue that benefits from different values and expertise, a constructive attitude favouring practical solutions, and mutual trust and transparency.
Time in the field has been invaluable, with extraordinary transfer and sharing of knowledge between the joint teams. FFI has learned a great deal about company HSE systems, lifecycle stages and activities of the oil & gas industry, whilst Eni has gained knowledge about the complexity of biodiversity and ecosystems, their relevance to the social and environmental sustainability of the contexts of its operations and how applied ecology can effectively inform decision-making processes. Our partnership has helped and continues helping to pre-empt and avoid risks associated with BES impacts and dependencies. We are proud that Eni is among the leading O&G companies in BES management and continue to value the work we undertake through our partnership.
FFI has worked collaboratively with Eni Upstream’s team to integrate BES into decision making and the design of conservation programmes that take into account the dependencies of local communities on natural resources. FFI has supported Eni to take a proactive and pre-emptive approach to understanding its socio-ecological context (i.e. the natural and social landscapes) within which it operates to ensure that neither the environment nor the communities dependent thereon, are affected.
The timeline below well represents the partnership’s evolution. In the early stages, a new assessment methodology was developed to recognise and address biodiversity within upstream oil and gas operations. FFI has been part of the development and update of Eni’s BES Policy, relevant guidance documents part of the HSE IMS and provided technical advice to numerous Subsidiaries.
Our willingness to engage may implicitly endorse projects in areas that harbour globally important biodiversity, but FFI’s overriding concern is to minimise their impact – and ensure stringent application of appropriate mitigation measures – in situations where development is inevitable.
Pippa Howard, Director of Business & Biodiversity Programme at Fauna & Flora International
In your experience with Eni, what were the challenges in implementing biodiversity projects and the greatest satisfactions so far?
Among the latest activities, in 2019 we delivered a ground-breaking, bespoke, GISweb-based tool for rapid screening of BES sensitivities for Eni US Operating Co. Inc. shelf and offshore operations within the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). FFI supported Eni Egypt on a number of fronts, developing clear management plans across the Zohr and Nile Delta projects. FFI is currently advising Eni Mozambique regarding biodiversity offset strategy in the marine environment. We are proud to have been explicit in the development of Eni’s commitment to biodiversity conservation and the full application of the mitigation hierarchy in decision making, and particularly Eni’s commitment to “No Go” in natural World Heritage Sites.
Challenges: FFI has a clear and transparent objective when working with companies. There is no denying that FFI might be seen to be facilitating access to resources in highly biodiverse or sensitive areas. In such cases, we uphold and enact the right to walk away. But the key point is this: we maintain that our involvement invariably improves the standards of practice and project implementation, leading to a better outcome for biodiversity on the ground. We advocate that Eni adheres strictly to the mitigation hierarchy (whereby they are required to avoid, minimise or, at worst, compensate for impacts in order to achieve no net loss or a net gain for biodiversity).
Sometimes our engagement may come too late in the lifecycle of a project and so avoidance is hard to achieve. Reputationally, we are tied to some of Eni’s operations. Our willingness to engage may implicitly endorse projects in areas that harbour globally important biodiversity, but FFI’s overriding concern is to minimise their impact – and ensure stringent application of appropriate mitigation measures – in situations where development is inevitable. Damage limitation, in effect. Of course, wherever we sense that national governance structures or company reputational risk considerations might present opportunities to resist a proposed project, we communicate directly with our key contacts in Eni, who elevate concerns within the company.
We are on a very good path to net positive impact and success in delivering this over the forthcoming decade will be rewarding. Achievement of positive outcomes for BES following impacts from project development is dependent on three factors: national policy frameworks, lender safeguard requirements and company standards. Where policies are legally binding, Eni has no option but to follow them. Even then, it is hard to get full financial resources and capacity to implement urgent actions. Lender safeguards are sometimes confusing and are time-bound only for the length of the loan (often far shorter than the actual project timeframe). Compliance appears to drive company performance more than any other aspect; once permitted, however, a project develops a momentum of its own and the monitoring and evaluation of mitigation activities are sometimes underfunded.
This website uses cookies to show you adverts and offer you services customised according to the preferences you have shown while browsing online. For further information please refer to our cookie policy.
THIS WEBSITE (AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN) DOES NOT CONTAIN OR CONSTITUTE AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE, OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO PURCHASE SECURITIES OR IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA) OR FOR THE ACCOUNT OR BENEFIT OF ANY U.S. PERSON AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE SECURITIES ACT (A "U.S. PERSON"), AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION WOULD REQUIRE THE APPROVAL OF LOCAL AUTHORITIES OR OTHERWISE BE UNLAWFUL (THE "OTHER COUNTRIES"). THE SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR PURSUANT TO THE CORRESPONDING REGULATIONS IN FORCE IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, SOUTH AFRICA OR THE “OTHER COUNTRIES” AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO A U.S. PERSON UNLESS THE SECURITIES ARE REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT IS AVAILABLE. NO PUBLIC OFFERING OF SUCH SECURITIES IS INTENDED TO BE MADE IN THE UNITED STATES, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR IN THE “OTHER COUNTRIES.”
In any Member State of the European Economic Area ("EEA"), the information contained in this website is only directed at and may only be communicated to persons who are "qualified investors" ("Qualified Investors") within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation").
The information to which this website gives access is directed only at persons (i) who are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations etc.") of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (ii) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Order or (iii) to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which this communication relates is only available to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons, or in the EEA, with Qualified Investors. Any person who is not a relevant person, a Qualified Investor or otherwise permitted under applicable law or regulation to access the information, should not act or rely on the information contained herein.
Confirmation of Understanding and Acceptance of Disclaimer
These materials are for informational purposes only and are not directed to, nor are they intended for, access by persons located or resident in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any of the Other Countries. I certify that:
I am not resident of, or located in, the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan or South Africa or any of the Other Countries or I am not a U.S. Person; or
If I am a resident of, or located in, the EEA, I am a Qualified Investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation; or
If I am a resident of, or located in, the United Kingdom, I am a Qualified Investor and a relevant person.
I have read and understood the disclaimer set out above. I understand that it may affect my rights. I agree to be bound by its terms and I am permitted under applicable law and regulations to proceed to the following parts of this website.
WARNING: the above certification constitutes a "self-certification" pursuant to Decree of the President of the Italian Republic No. 445 of 28 December 2000. False certifications are punishable by law.
You must read the following information before continuing.
The information contained in this segment of the website is not intended for, and must not be accessed or distributed or disseminated to persons resident or physically present in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to do so. The information also is not intended for, and must not be accessed or distributed or disseminated to persons resident or physically present in Italy who are not “qualified investors” (investitori qualificati), as defined in Article 2, letter e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the “Prospectus Regulation”) pursuant to Article 1, fourth paragraph, letter a) of the Prospectus Regulation as implemented in Italy by Article 35, paragraph 1, letter d) of CONSOB regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018.
By clicking the button below labeled “I agree”, you are certifying that (A) if you are in the European Economic Area, you are a “Qualified Investor”; (B) you are not accessing this portion of the website from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada or Japan; (C) if you are a resident or physically present in Italy, you are a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation as implemented in Italy by Article 35, paragraph 1, letter d) of CONSOB regulation No. 20307 of February 15, 2018; and (D) you are not located in a jurisdiction where it is unlawful to access this portion of the website.
You acknowledge that the information and statements contained in the document you are accessing on this website speak only as of the date of such document (or such other date(s) specified therein), and such information and statements may become inaccurate, stale and/or out-of-date thereafter and should not be relied upon for any investment decision.
You acknowledge that the materials on this website that you are accessing are confidential and intended only for you and you agree you will not forward, reproduce, copy, download or publish any of such materials (electronically or otherwise) to any other person if this is not in accordance with the law.
You acknowledge that the access to information and documents contained on this portion of the website may be illegal in certain jurisdictions, and only certain categories of persons may be authorized to access this portion of the website. If you are not authorized to access the information and document contained on this portion of the website or you are not sure that you are permitted to view these materials, you should leave this portion of the website.
You acknowledge that no registration or approval has been obtained and Eni Gas e Luce S.p.A. società benefit and its affiliates assume no responsibility if there is a violation of applicable law and regulation by any person.
By clicking the button below labeled “I agree”, you are confirming that you have read and understood the disclaimer above.
If you cannot so confirm, you must exit this portion of the website
