PautaInternas
Actions
Environmental compensation and forced investment of 1%
Actions
Compliance to biodiversity offsets and 1% investment* requirements
Jun 28, 2024
Compliance strategy
Within the mitigation hierarchy framework, Ecopetrol S.A. complies with regulatory biodiversity offsets to achieve no net loss of biodiversity and adheres to the *mandatory investment of no less than 1%, enacted when freshwater withdrawals from natural sources occur, aimed at protecting, restoring, or surveilling the river basin*. Such investments materialize through conservation actions that include preservation, restoration of strategic ecosystems and sustainable use of biodiversity, in collaboration with local communities, state institutions such as IDEAM, and implementing partners in the territory.
Activities include i) signing of conservation agreements with in-kind payments to promote the preservation/rehabilitation strategic ecosystems (e.g riparian forests, morichales), ii) acquiring private lands that encompass relevant areas for biodiversity conservation and delivering them to government institutions for their preservation, iii) protective reforestation with native species, iv) restoration approaches outlined in the national restoration plan (reclamation, rehabilitation and ecological restoration) and v) enhancing river basin surveillance through acquiring monitoring equipment and technology (solely within 1% investment). It should be noted that each of these actions are previously approved by the environmental authority and are developed in prioritized areas that consider national and regional planning instruments, areas of influence of the operation and projects, biodiversity information on a national scale, among others.
Activities developed within voluntary conservation agreements
Some of the activities developed within voluntary conservation agreements include:
Biodiversity baseline and monitoring
We characterize the initial state of an ecosystem before the development of preservation and/or rehabilitation actions and track the progress in biodiversity gains during the process, as a result of voluntary conservation agreements. These assessments encompass both, the biotic and abiotic aspects of the areas of interest.
Isolation of areas designated for conservation/rehabilitation along with establishment of in-kind incentives (silvopastoral systems, agroforestry, dendroenergetic orchards)
This entails the installation of isolation fences using materials like concrete, wood, or plastic posts, along with barbed wire or other fencing materials, around the designated areas for rehabilitation or preservation. Additionally, in-kind incentives are provided within the property to support these efforts.
Preparation and adaptation of plant material
To enhance rehabilitation success on the farms, we ensure that the plant material meets the necessary survival conditions, which vary depending on the species, planting density, terrain conditions, among others.
Establishment of in-kind incentives
Establishment of in-kind incentives like agroforestry or silvopastoral systems with the signatories of voluntary conservation agreements, to support conservation actions and sustainable use.
Capacity building
In voluntary conservation agreements, Ecopetrol S.A. actively promotes the development of local communities by providing technical assistance and socio-environmental training. These initiatives cover a range of topics including good practices in agroforestry tailored to crops like cocoa, banana, and citrus fruits, as well as practices concerning silvopastoral systems, animal health, and livestock sector regulations. These training sessions are led by experienced professionals working in collaboration with both local and national institutions.
Restoration actions in biodiversity offsets and 1% investment
Ecopetrol S.A. executes restoration actions from three approaches: ecological restoration actions aimed to reestablish the structure and function of a degraded ecosystem, such that it is self-sustaining and guarantees the conservation of its species; ecological rehabilitation, focuses on restoring productivity and ecosystem services and ecological reclamation, to restore the ecosystem services of the territory, integrating them with the surrounding environment (National Restoration Plan, 2015). By 2023, Ecopetrol has developed restorations actions in riparian forest, morichales and savannas ecosystems.
Goals in biodiversity offsets and 1% investment by 2030
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Implement conservation actions (preservation, restoration of sustainable use) in at least 13,000 hectares at the national level. |
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Establish 15 hydrological / metereological stations in the hydrographic subzones of the Cusiana and Cravo Sur rivers in the department of Casanare in alliance with IDEAM. |
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Installation of a radar to generate meteorological information in two hydrographic subzones in the department of Casanare in agreement with IDEAM. |
Compliance results in biodiversity offsets and 1% investment 2023
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Signing of 177 new voluntary conservation agreements in compliance with environmental offsets and 1% investment in 2023, totaling 763 agreements. Examples of in-kind incentives within Voluntary conservation agreements by the Piedemonte Regional Environmental Department. |
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Ecopetrol S.A. actively implements conservation actions on 5,287 hectares through 763 voluntary conservation agreements and totaling 5,420 hectares when accounting for those executed with partners. Additionally, the company has advanced restoration actions on 793 hectares and has established 685,8 hectares for agroforestry, forest grazing, and bioenergy forests. |
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Installation of 46 new eco-efficient stoves in 2023, totaling 183. |
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An agreement was signed with IDEAM for hydroclimatological monitoring with resources from the 1% investment in Piedemonte. |
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The Eco-environmental Schools project ended with the intervention of 20 educational centers in 3 municipalities, benefiting 6,280 students in the Department of Casanare. |
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