After more than six years of collaboration, the EBI members have decided to cease formal activity as the EBI group. While the group will no longer be working as a whole, each member continues to be committed to looking for opportunities to apply the recommendations set forth in the EBI and promoting its messages to relevant audiences around the globe. The Energy and Biodiversity Initiative has been instrumental in helping companies understand and address biodiversity conservation and it provides an effective framework for the management of biodiversity across multiple industries.

Media Contact
Please direct all media inquiries to:
Jason Anderson
+1 703-341-2525
Corporate Media Manger
The Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, a division of Conservation International

September 20, 2005 - EBI: Report on Progress

August 25, 2003—Energy & Biodiversity Initiative Release Collaborative Report (Click here to view the EBI Report)

August 31, 2002—EBI wins partnership award at World Summit on Sustainable Development

Background Documents
>Statement from the Member Conservation Organizations >Statement from the Member Companies
>Statement from the the IPIECA-OGP Biodiversity Working Group
>Participating Organizations and Representatives
>Frequently Asked Questions
>Story of the EBI

Past Events
September 30 - October 5, 2005. 8th World Wilderness Congress - Anchorage, Alaska.  The theme of the 8th WWC was Wilderness, Wildlands and People – A Partnership for the Planet. The EBI was featured in a workshop on how the Initiative can guide business to contribute to wilderness protection, especially through biodiversity offsets, and on a decision support tool to identify and avoid areas of high biodiversity value.

September 6-7, 2005 . IPIECA-OGP West/Central Africa Workshop – Luanda , Angola . This workshop will be hosted by ChevronTexaco’s Angola LNG project, and is being planned jointly by the IPIECA/OGP BDWG, Conservation International and the World Conservation Society. The workshop will focus on biodiversity issues and policies in West/Central Africa and their relation to the oil and gas industry. Particular areas of focus will include marine biodiversity assessment and conservation in offshore/coastal ecosystems, and secondary and socio-economic impacts in terrestrial ecosystems.

November 23-24, 2004. ARPEL/IPIECA/OGP Latin America Workshop - Quito, Ecuador.
This event will primarily focus on terrestrial and marine biodiversity issues in the region, international developments, protected areas, and environmental and social impact assessments via presentations and discussion sessions.

November 18-24, 2004. World Conservation Congress - Bangkok, Thailand.
The EBI will be supporting this event at the World Conservation Forum through participation in various scheduled events related to integrating of biodiversity conservation into oil and gas development.

May 10-11, 2005 . Biodiversity and the Oil and Gas Industry: Issues and Opportunities in the Mediterranean and North Africa - Tunis , Tunisia .
This workshop, was run by the IPIECA/OGP BDWG and hosted by Repsol YPF, and focused on biodiversity in arid/semi-arid regions and coastal/offshore areas, with the aim of increasing understanding of current regional and international issues, sharing company experiences and raising awareness of opportunities for effective near- and long-term action.

November 23-24, 2004 . ARPEL/IPIECA/OGP Latin America Workshop- Quito , Ecuador .
This event primarily focussed on terrestrial and marine biodiversity issues in the region, international developments, protected areas, and environmental and social impact assessments via presentations and discussion sessions.

November 18-24, 2004 . World Conservation Congress - Bangkok , Thailand .
The EBI supported this event at the World Conservation Forum through participation in various scheduled events related to integrating of biodiversity conservation into oil and gas development.

April 1, 2004. IPIECA-OGP Workshop - Calgary, Canada.
Immediately following the 2004 SPE HSE conference, this workshop brought together industry experts and HSE managers to discuss current biodiversity initiatives (including EBI) and drivers, and secondary impact challenges. See the IPIECA website under "Biodiversity" for further details: http://www.ipieca.org/.

February 27, 2004. ABCG Meeting - Washington, D.C., USA.
Convened by the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group (ABCG), this half-day meeting explored the topic "Oil & Gas Development in Africa - What Does It Mean for Biodiversity Conservation?" Meeting objectives were to educate participants on the threats to and opportunities for biodiversity conservation related to oil and gas development in Africa; and to discuss areas for possible collaboration between the conservation community, industry, and other stakeholders in Africa. See the ABCG website under "Themes" for further details: http://www.abcg.org/.

February 24-25, 2004. IPIECA-OGP Southeast Asia Workshop - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This workshop focused on government and industry biodiversity initiatives, including the EBI; key marine and terrestrial biodiversity issues in the region; assessment and management of direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity; and community and livelihood considerations. See the IPIECA website under "Biodiversity" for further details: http://www.ipieca.org/.

February 6-20, 2004. GBF and CBD COP 7 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
EBI was highlighted at the Global Biodiversity Forum and the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of Parties Seven through participation in various presentations and panel discussions.

September 8-17, 2003. World Parks Congress - Durban, South Africa.
EBI was formally launched to the conservation community at evening reception at the Congress, was presented on several panels, and hard copies of the report and executive summary were distributed at CI, FFI, IUCN, Shell, and IPIECA's exhibition booths.

In the News
Explorer , August 2004 – Biodiversity: Breaking New Ground. This publication of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists discusses the EBI and IPIECA in an analysis of the implications that biodiversity issues may have for future oil and gas exploration. It quotes several EBI representatives .

Petroleum Africa Monthly , June 2004 – Taking HSE Responsibility: An Investment in the Future. This article discusses the EBI and then highlights a number of conservation-related activities by energy companies, including BP, ChevronTexaco and Shell.

MPA News , May 2004 – Mixing oil and water, Part I: Examining Interactions Between Offshore Petroleum and MPAs. This newsletter on marine protected areas discusses the EBI and quotes Assheton Carter in an article about the negative and positive implications of interactions between MPAs and the offshore oil industry.

World Oil - December, 2003 - The Energy and Biodiversity Initiative can make a difference in operating practices. World Oil printed a special issue in December with the theme "Protecting The Environment." The EBI was the subject of the issue's "Special Focus" which lead off this industry trade journal.

InTech , October 1, 2003 – Energy, green groups talk biodiversity. This official journal of the Instrument Society of America highlighted the EBI’s recommendation on the use of integrated environmental and social impact assessments.

BioMedNet.com , September 19, 2003 – Biodiversity recommendations for oil and gas industry. Highlighting the unique collaborative nature of the EBI, this since-discontinued news weekly from Elsevier publishing reported on the release of the EBI products, quoted representatives from CELB and Shell and discussed the future plans of the Initiative.

Financial Times - September 18, 2003 - Oil and mining groups urged to act responsibly over threatened wildlife. Recapping the events of the 5th World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, this article looked at the fact that the resulting Durban Accord focused, in part, on calling for responsible behavior from the oil and gas industry. The EBI was noted as one of two initiatives by the industry to address these issues.

India Business Insight , August 30, 2003 - Report on conservation drive in oil, gas sector released. This online informational database ran a brief report on the launch of the EBI.

The Hindu Business Line - August 29, 2003 - Report on conservation drive in oil, gas sector released. The financial daily of India's largest newspaper covered the launch of the EBI, the recommendations being promoted and next steps.

Innovations Report ( Germany ), August 27, 2003 – Energy companies, conservation groups issue biodiversity recommendations for oil & gas development. This online forum for science, industry and economics, based in Germany , reported on the launch of the EBI products.

The Energy Daily - August 26, 2003 - Big Oil, Greens Unveil Guidelines on Drilling. This daily source of news for the energy industry covered the launch of the EBI report, commitments from EBI members Shell and BP, and listed some of the key recommendations from the report.

Ethical Corporation Online , August 25, 2003 – Oil and gas and biodiversity report released. This online magazine, which provides independent information on corporate environment, social and financial responsibility, covered the EBI launch.

Oil & Gas Journal - August 25, 2003 - Oil Firms, NGOs jointly develop biodiversity guidelines. The leading publication for the oil and gas industry produced the first in-depth coverage of the EBI report. The article gives the history of the EBI process, features several quotes from Assheton Carter from CELB, talks about the importance of biodiversity and provides a detailed look at the EBI recommendations.

The Nature Conservancy: Saving the Last Great Places on Earth—Summer 2003—Refining the Search for Crude. The Nature Conservancy, one of the EBI participants, featured the EBI in its flagship publication that reaches the organization's entire subscriber base. Article (PDF)

The IUCN Bulletin: World Conservation—Celebrating diversity—Number 2, 2002—Business of Biodiversity
As part of a special Johannesburg issue for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the IUCN—an EBI participant—asked leading figures from both the public and private sectors to give their personal thoughts on a number of issues. In this piece about the Business of Biodiversity, Assheton Carter, Director of Energy & Mining for the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, focused on the EBI, highlighting the unique partnership and commitment to improving environmental performance within the energy sector.

The Wall Street Journal—August 28, 2002—Business Scales World Summit: U.N. Signals Openness to Corporate View, Irking Activists. Written out of Johannesburg during the World Summit on Sustainable Development, this article addressed rising support for partnerships between businesses and NGOs. The EBI, which was one of the winners of the 2002 World Summit Business Awards for Sustainable Development Partnerships, was highlighted as a primary example.

TIME Magazine—August 26, 2002—The Green Century: The Challenges We Face. As part of a special report entitled "How to Save the Earth" and a prelude to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, TIME examined several avenues to a healthier future, including green industry, green architecture, green energy, green transportation and even a greener approach to wilderness preservation. This article highlighted the EBI's efforts to draft guidelines for incorporating biodiversity conservation into oil and gas exploration.

SRI News.com: Social Investment News—August 09, 2002—Rio + 10 Series: Business Action Addressing Biodiversity is a Rare Species. This article begins by describing CELB as "leading the most concerted effort of business action to address biodiversity." It then goes on to highlight EBI's work to join oil companies with NGO's to identify and promote best conservation practices for the oil and gas industry.

Newsweek Japan—January 30, 2001—U.S. Business Trends: Environmental Protection. The Japanese language edition of Newsweek ran this article which highlighted the connection between the economy and environmental issues including Conservation International's work with major oil and gas companies to design new guidelines for oil and gas exploration and development.

Hart's European Fuels News—June 27, 2001—Oil and Diversity. This first article about the EBI highlights the goals of the Initiative, including specifying the impact of oil operations on biological diversity and devising good measurement methods for area assessment. The partnership is described as seeking "to come up with development and production practices which take the best possible care of the surrounding environment."