Premium
A collaborative approach to the environmental assessment process prior to oil exploration activities offshore the Falkland Islands
Author(s) -
Hopkins Liz,
Olleveant Andrew
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
aquatic conservation: marine and freshwater ecosystems
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1099-0755
pISSN - 1052-7613
DOI - 10.1002/aqc.483
Subject(s) - workgroup , government (linguistics) , environmental impact assessment , business , offshore oil and gas , environmental planning , submarine pipeline , process (computing) , environmental resource management , engineering , geography , computer science , environmental science , political science , computer network , philosophy , linguistics , geotechnical engineering , law , operating system
Abstract1. Operating Companies awarded acreage in the Falkland Islands First Offshore Licensing Round began exploration for oil and gas in 1996. Appropriate environmental management is an important aspect of exploration activities in any new frontier area and the Falklands Islands were no exception. Operators with drilling commitments established the Falklands Operators Sharing Agreement (FOSA), which included an Environmental Workgroup (EWG) to take responsibility for the environmental issues associated with exploration activities. 2. The EWG was established early in the exploration programme and commissioned a number of specific environmental studies relating to the offshore environment of the Islands. The data made available by this research provided a valuable input to the assessment of potential environmental impacts from the planned exploration activities. By undertaking environmental impact assessments prior to exploration activities FOSA were able to identify and adopt operational and management controls to ensure potential environmental impacts were, where possible, minimized or avoided. 3. The EWG also provided the main point of contact with the regulators on environmental matters and through the Falkland Islands Exploration & Production Environmental Forum facilitated consultation with government departments such as Fisheries, and other stakeholders such as Falklands Conservation. 4. The co‐operative approach taken by the operators with regard to the environmental management of the exploration activities offshore the Falkland Islands is considered to have been very successful. The most obvious benefits were through the shared resources resulting in financial savings, however, other benefits have included, avoiding duplication of effort, the promoting of ‘working togetherness’ and a reduced burden on consultees. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.