Linkedin
Buscador

Our ambition

Feb 10, 2023

Context about biodiversity and ecosistemic services

 

What is biodiversity?

Logo del IPBESIn the 21st century, one of the terms that has become more relevant in the scientific world is biodiversity. According to the IPBES - Intergovernmental Science -Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services-, biodiversity refers to the variety of life forms at the genetic, ecosystem and even planetary level. From microorganisms and fungi to plants and animals, they are all relevant to the stability of ecosystems and the prosperity of all the communities surrounding each of them.

 

What are Ecosystem Services?

Biodiversity represents Earth’s vital support by enabling a large number of services for the human species, known as Ecosystem Services, which are relevant in the context of food security, the use of natural resources, the extraction of drinking water and many more. According to the guidelines of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, an international effort of the United Nations to identify the impact of human actions on nature, they are classified into four categories: provisioning services, such as water and natural gas; regulating services, such as pollination and carbon storage; cultural services and support services. The continuity and stability of these services is relevant for Ecopetrol within the framework of our Biodiversity strategy.

 

Colombian biodiversity in a global context

“Colombia is a privileged country for its natural richness, for its variety, geographical beauty and for the diversity of its ecosystems.” Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Colombia, 2016.

At a global level, as ratified by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), our country has a privileged position in terms of biodiversity as it is one of the few titled as megadiverse.

With more than 70,000 species registered in the Colombian Biodiversity Information System - SIB - and close to 49 million hectares protected according to the National Registry of Protected Areas - RUNAP-, equivalent to 42% of the national territory, Colombia ranks second worldwide in terms of plant, butterfly and amphibian biodiversity.

Most biodiverse countries in the globe

Most biodiverse countries in the world. Adapted from: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/

 

Below, we present some of the most important figures regarding Colombian biodiversity, which were consolidated based on taxonomic reclassifications and reports from the Instituto Alexander Von Humboldt, a leading Colombian research facility.

Outstanding figures regarding Colombian biodiversity

Relevant figures in the context of biodiversity at the international level. Adapted from: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/

 

Biodiversity in Colombia Fauna Vertebrates

Species of vertebrate animals registered through SIB Colombia. Reference source: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/

 

Biodiversity in Colombia Fauna Invertebrates

Species of invertebrate animals registered through SIB Colombia. Reference source: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/

 

Biodiversity in Colombia Flora

Species of flora animals registered through SIB Colombia. Reference source: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/

 

 

Our ambition

 

The strategic pillar of biodiversity and ecosystem services

Ecopetrol recognizes the need to identify and manage dependencies and potential impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as the importance of generating actions for their conservation, in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 1, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15 and 17.

This strategic pillar has four axes:

  • i) Mitigation Hierarchy
  • ii) Nature Based Solutions (NbS)
  • iii) knowledge Generation
  • iv) Biodiversity culture.
Ecopetrol’s biodiversity strategy Benefits of biodiversity management

 

Roadmap to 2030

Ecopetrol defined this element as outstanding in the materiality analysis, considering the risks and opportunities that it may represent for the company in a mega-diverse country and in order to generate concrete conservation actions on natural capital and economic co-benefits for the communities in the area of influence.

Our commitment involves:

  1. Not to operate in protected areas according to IUCN categories I to IV.
  2. Not to carry out activities in areas declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
  3. Caution / Prevention

During 2023, conceptual and methodological analyses will be conducted on the management of risks and opportunities associated with nature in Ecopetrol. Oil and gas activities in Colombia require an environmental zoning process, where the mitigation hierarchy is applied to mitigate, avoid, minimize, correct and compensate residual impacts on biodiversity, in order to achieve a no net loss or a net gain on biodiversity, in accordance with the current legal framework.

In relation to the commitment to no deforestation, in 2022 the company included biodiversity guidelines as part of the contractual and procurement processes in activities involving the use of timber, ensuring that this comes from commercial forestry plantations.

 

Our goals and achievements 2022

Currently, and thanks to the management efforts carried out in in 2022, Ecopetrol is at 91% and 60% compliance with its goals board in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by 2023 and 2030, respectively.

Milestones Goals Achievements
 
2023
Goal
2030
Goal
2022
execution
2022
accumulated
2023
progress
Progress towards the 2030 goal
Delivery, support and/or planting of trees (cumulative number Business Group)
6.000.000
12.000.000
2.078.509
6.509.368
108%
54%
Ecoreserves designated on company-owned land (accumulated by Grupo Empresarial)
20
50
-
15
75%
30%
Hectares conserved and/or under restoration by voluntary/compulsory actions (maintain/new) in the year
20.000
30.000
23.239
 
34.379
172%
115%
Maintain 15 wild species conserved in 3 landscapes (Middle Magdalena Valley, Eastern Plains and Putumayo).
15
15
15
15
100%
100%
Million tons of CO2/year through CNS projects (Capture or reduction).
-
2-4
-
-
0%
0%
 
 
 
 
Total
91%
60%

 

Additionally, in 2022 we achieved:

 

  • In 2021, we became a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures - TNFD to contribute to the development of a framework for reporting risks and opportunities associated with natural capital. In 2022 we signed up to pilot the LEAP methodology, to be launched in September 2023.  The manager of Ecopetrol's sustainability and decarbonization group was defined as the leader of the TNDF energy group and actively participated in the working group for the energy sector.  For more information: https://tnfd.global/about/taskforce-members/.

 

  • Publication in the Colombian Biodiversity Information System - SIB - of 209,642 biological records corresponding to the different environmental studies that have been carried out. For more information: https://biodiversidad.co/empresas.

 

  • We participated in the last CoP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, where the new Kumming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was approved. At this event we actively participated in side events organized by TNFD and Ipieca, in order to reaffirm our commitment to the conservation of the country's biodiversity in line with our 2040 strategy - Energy that Transforms.

 

  • The Business Statement was signed in which Ecopetrol supported the inclusion of target 15 in the new Kumming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, approved at the last CoP 15. This target seeks that all large companies and financial institutions assess and disclose their risks, impacts and dependencies on biodiversity by 2030. For more information, see: https://www.businessfornature.org/make-it-mandatory-campaign#MIM-signatory-list

 

  • During 2022, we worked with the vice-presidency of supply and services on the development of the environmental guidelines, which are in the process of being published. 
  • Ecopetrol has established environmental criteria for the selection of contractors and, in terms of Biodiversity, it has 12 criteria that seek to minimize the impact on the supply chain, which include:
    • Paper made from wood fibers: the contractor may only use fibers from certified sustainable forestry..
    • The contractor may only use wood from sites duly authorized by the competent authority..
    • The garbage bags used by the contractor must be made of 80% recycled plastic or contain components that allow their biodegradability without secondary effects.
  • Natural Climate Solutions: We began implementing 5 projects with TNC, WCS F. Acción, ISA - Jaguar Connection, Fundación Natura and Fundación Cataruben, with a potential to capture more than 1MtC02/year. The accumulated potential of these projects, considering their useful life, is more than 15 million tCO2. For more information see Strategic Partners section.

Natural Climate Solutions

 

Ecopetrol Group goal of 12 million trees by 2030

At the end of 2022, the Ecopetrol Group has registered internally a total of 6'509,368 trees planted, delivered and quantified together with our partners.

  Origin Company Total number of trees
Ecopetrol S.A. 2.529.843

 Bicentenario

26.733
ODL

64.895

Hocol S.A.

2.096.591

Ocensa

83.920

Cenit

1.635.206

 

Oleoducto de Colombia - ODC 2.820
Esenttia S.A. 8.667
Reficar 32.609
ISA

28.084

  Total

6.509.368

For more information see Nature-Based Solutions section.

 

 

 

 

 

. . . 

Complementary Content
${loading}