Feb 10, 2023
In 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.
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.
“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 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.
Relevant figures in the context of biodiversity at the international level. Adapted from: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/
Species of vertebrate animals registered through SIB Colombia. Reference source: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/
Species of invertebrate animals registered through SIB Colombia. Reference source: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/
Species of flora animals registered through SIB Colombia. Reference source: https://cifras.biodiversidad.co/
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:
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:
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.
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:
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. |
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