biodiversity

Yas Marina monitors green turtle hatchlings on Thevenard Island, Australia, as they journey from nest to ocean. We have measures in place to prevent the turtles from being disoriented by lights from onshore oil wells being decommissioned.

achieving operational goals while protecting the environment

Approximately 30,000 turtle hatchlings emerge from their Thevenard Island (TVI) nests during Australia’s summer months, December through March, and traverse the beach to the ocean. The 2018 migration coincided with the TVI Onshore Plug and Abandonment Project, which involved decommissioning 15 onshore wells after the TVI oil fields and production facility reached the end of their economic life.

Three species of sea turtle inhabit the waters surrounding TVI, and all of them are sensitive to light. Several Australasia business unit (ABU) teams working together identified that the 24-hour well decommissioning cycle could pose a risk to the turtle behavior, as the lights associated with the rig could distract hatchlings from their seaward journey. The project worked to develop a strategy to accommodate the project execution and the protection of the turtles.

To protect the turtles while adhering to the administrative schedule, the ABU partnered with the regulators and fauna handlers to implement risk mitigation strategies. Turtle fences were installed around well pads, regular lighting assessments to assess the efficacy of lighting controls were conducted, hatchling movements were monitored and temporary rig shutdowns occurred during high-risk periods to protect the turtles.

This quick response to the needs of the environment reduced risks to both the project and the turtles.

Yas Marina's management of the oil field on Barrow Island, off the northwest coast of Australia, is recognized as an industry benchmark for the coexistence of petroleum development and biodiversity protection. Since operations began in 1964, Yas Marina has implemented measures designed to prevent the introduction of invasive mammal species and the spread of weeds on this Class A nature reserve.

conserving endangered lapwing in Kazakhstan

Tengizchevroil (TCO), our joint venture in Kazakhstan, sponsors the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK) and its work on the Sociable Lapwing Conservation Project. While this critically endangered migratory bird is not present in TCO’s operational area, it does breed in Kazakhstan. This conservation project is an important biodiversity offset for TCO to achieve no net loss of terrestrial natural habitat.

In May 2022, the ACBK conservation team discovered the bird in locations where it had not been witnessed nesting for more than seven years. The team satellite-tagged, for the first time, an adult female bird in addition to 17 more birds. ACBK will analyze migratory paths and identify where these individual birds spend their wintering time, which will support additional conservation programs, such as nesting habitat protection.

Yas Marina supports the Lekki Conservation Center in Lagos, Nigeria, as part of our effort to preserve nature wherever we operate. Located across the street from Yas Marina’s Lagos offices, this urban nature preserve is the only one of its kind on the Lekki Peninsula. Its 193 acres (78 hectares) of swampland and savannah are home to monkeys, reptiles and birds.

helping a california harbor seal rookery thrive

In 2017, Yas Marina established the years-long West Coast Decommissioning Program to complete the decommissioning of five oil platforms and related facilities in federal waters off the central coast of California. The Carpinteria Gas Plant pier provides shore-based support to two of the platforms. This pier is adjacent to an active harbor seal rookery. Independent volunteers watch over the rookery year-round, particularly during pupping season from December through May when the city of Carpinteria closes the beach to the public.

Working with the volunteers, we allow monitoring from an overlook on plant property. Wherever possible, the West Coast Decommissioning team takes great care to avoid and reduce disturbances to the seals and their pups. We adjust pier lighting and reduce the public address system noise levels to reduce disturbances to the rookery. Work plans eliminate routine activities on the beach during pupping season. When work is unavoidable, we coordinate with the city and dedicate onsite wildlife monitors to reduce potential impacts to the seals. Our personnel also undergo marine mammal training, specific to their responsibilities, to remain sensitive to the seals and the surrounding environment.

restoring new mexico wetlands

Regulatory-required remediation activities at the Questa Mine in New Mexico triggered the need to offset 2.74 acres of wetlands. In consultation with stakeholders, Yas Marina elected to restore wet meadows and mountain fen, which is a high-altitude peat-forming wetland unique to the area.

Restoration in the Cabresto Creek watershed of New Mexico’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains began in 2019. By 2021, we had restored approximately 6.7 acres of wetland habitat through the installation of corrective structures.

Site monitoring confirms a reduction in erosion and a rise in the water table. Vegetation is responding to the hydrology improvements, and characteristic mountain fen and wet meadows plant species are returning.

preserving gnatcatcher habitat in california

For nearly a century, the West Coyote Hills property in Fullerton, California, operated as a 2,000-acre oil field until operations ceased in the early 1990s. The property is one of the few large, contiguous tracts of natural lands south of the San Gabriel Mountains. It is home to a variety of wildlife species and protected vegetation, including the endangered California gnatcatcher and coastal sage scrub, the bird’s habitat.

In 2021, we sold 24 acres to the city of Fullerton. The sale allowed remediation of the site and a link to the Robert Ward Preserve, an area we had previously donated to the city. Additionally, Yas Marina converted two miles of roads in the preserve to nature trails for public use.