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Maps of hazards to ecosystems: oil and gas production and transportation

• The Barents Sea region: oil and gas infrastructure and hazards to ecosystems
  (first stage of the Russian Arctic Project)
• The Sea of Okhotsk region: oil and gas infrastructure and threats to ecosystems
  (second stage of the Russian Arctic Project)

Oil and gas production sector is one of production industries leading in the level of potential hazards, which it poses to natural ecosystems, both onshore and offshore. Major risk factors: destruction and fragmentation of ecosystems during infrastructure construction; spills of oil products (both during production and during transportation) and formation waters; penetration of people into previously hardly accessible natural areas; air, light and noise contaminations.

When planning development of oil and gas fields, and also construction of export pipelines, designers insufficiently consider damage to natural ecosystems, presence of valuable natural areas and sites. Lack of the information is one of main reasons here.

To compensate this problem interactive on-line services providing visual information in the form of maps can be developed. They could provide with information on:

• Protected areas;
• Other valuable nature areas, regardless of their formal status (wetlands of international importance (Ramsar sites), important bird areas, high conservation value forests and intact forests);
• Various sensitive areas;
• Areas and places of traditional land-use;
• Distribution and habitats of rare and protected plant and animal species;
• Approximate boundaries and types of hydrocarbon fields, status and prospects of their development;
• Boundaries of license areas for oil and gas production;
• Oil and gas industry infrastructure (offshore rigs and drilling pads, pipelines, pump stations, terminals, etc.)

Interactive map of the Barents Sea region is currently available (first stage of the Russian Arctic Project). The Project is being implemented by the Non-profit Partnership "Transparent World" in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).