Biodiversity

Biodiversity supports human and societal needs, including food and nutrition security, energy, development of medicines and pharmaceuticals, and freshwater, which together underpin good health. It also supports economic opportunities and leisure activities that contribute to overall well-being. Biodiversity conservation provides substantial benefits, such as clean, consistent water flows, protection from floods and storms, and a stable climate. The loss of biodiversity is dangerous, and its consequences are immediate. The EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 is a comprehensive, ambitious, and long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems. The strategy aims to put Europe’s biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030, and contains specific actions and commitments.

Specific Policies and Commitments

OMV’s Group Environmental Management Standard and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Procedure state that all OMV activities must be conducted in such a way as to cause minimal disturbance to protected areas and to local flora and fauna.

Management and Due Diligence Processes

Risk Assessments

Observed or predicted direct and indirect impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES) are described and analyzed in the environmental impact assessment. BES screenings are carried out at all relevant sites to identify, as far as reasonably possible, the potential for the presence of nationally or globally threatened species, legally protected threatened or fragile ecosystems, and internationally recognized areas with sensitive biodiversity. In 2021, OMV announced that it was selling its stake in the Wisting oil field in the Barents Sea of Norway, thereby exiting Arctic oil discovery.

Biodiversity Management Plans

OMV joined the Biodiversity Task Force of the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association, which is working on an update of the guide to developing biodiversity action plans. Based on that guide, OMV aims to develop Biodiversity Management Plans for all major operations.

Mitigation and Rehabilitation

In the event of significant observed or predicted impacts, we apply the mitigation hierarchy, and action planning gives priority to avoidance and minimization over restoration and offsetting of the impact. Mitigation measures include, for instance, rerouting of pipelines.

For instance, in 2021, OMV Petrom continued the cleaning, remediation, and ecological reconstruction works for nine former fuel terminals, which started in 2019 (for more information, see Waste). During this project, we performed periodic monitoring during and after site rehabilitation, as requested for each site by the environmental authorities. For example, during site rehabilitation, we took samples of soil/subsoil and monitored the groundwater in each phase of the project (e.g., excavation, bioremediation). We monitored the quality of soil/subsoil and/or underground water after site rehabilitation when requested by the environmental authority. We also monitor the site status (e.g., land covering by grass, soil compaction) on a quarterly basis for one year after our works are finalized.

Working with NGOs

OMV works locally with NGOs and other third parties on restoration and rehabilitation projects. For example, in 2021, we supported the following biodiversity-related projects in New Zealand as part of our wider Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio. New Zealand has the highest number of threatened indigenous species in the world.¹ Source: Environment Aotearoa 2019, Ministry for the Environment, https://environment.govt.nz/publications/environment-aotearoa-2019/

• Partnership with Ngāti Koata and the Department of Conservation for the Moawhitu lake and wetland regeneration project
• Partnership with the Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust protecting the endemic hihi bird (stitchbird) in this reserve located just outside of New Plymouth
• Partnership with Tiaki Te Mauri o Parininihi Trust in North Taranaki for monitoring the endangered kōkako bird

2021 Actions

In 2021, we began mapping all of our sites in a formal and harmonized way to determine if any are located in internationally protected areas. We will aim to disclose the results of this mapping in the coming years. We also continued to implement biodiversity initiatives, such as our green areas project in Tunisia. Our locations in Tunisia are in a dry and arid climate with hostile living conditions and a lack of recreation areas. The project’s objective is to plant indigenous trees and shrubs in the desert. In 2020, a project was started in Waha, where 512 trees have been planted. In 2021, this was expanded to Nawara. There, 1,200 trees were planted in the first year. An irrigation system has been installed to support the budding plants. The goal is to provide recreation areas to improve the well-being of personnel and visitors, and to promote forest creation.

Outlook

We aim to develop a formal biodiversity and protected areas policy in the coming years.