Biodiversity

Our operated assets span a wide range of ecoregions, including deserts, forests, grasslands, savannas, tundra, and marine environments. Biodiversity management priorities vary by location and are shaped by ecological conditions, regulatory requirements, land use, proximity to sensitive habitats or species, and community expectations. Together, these factors inform how biodiversity impacts, risks and opportunities are managed.

Mitigation hierarchy

We manage biodiversity impacts through a structured application of the  mitigation hierarchy, a decision-making framework that prioritizes mitigation actions in the following sequence: avoid, minimize, restore and offset. This hierarchy guides how we evaluate potential ecological effects and select appropriate mitigation measures throughout the life cycle of our operations.

Avoid

Some biodiversity impacts can be avoided through careful spatial or temporal placement of infrastructure and construction activities, design optimization or scheduling field activities outside peak migration or breeding seasons. The examples in the table highlight mitigation measures implemented at selected operated assets over recent years, reflecting site‑specific operational practices shaped by local conditions.

Sensitive species, habitats or ecosystems
  • Maintaining voluntary conservation agreements for designated endangered or threatened species.
  • Conducting life-cycle study of local indicator species to inform avoidance planning.
  • Avoiding construction during sensitive summer bird breeding season.
  • Excluding culturally or commercially important species habitat from seismic surveys and drilling.
  • Implementing seasonal light mitigation to avoid disturbance of culturally important bird species.
Physical footprint
  • Avoiding culturally significant Indigenous sites during project planning.
  • Identifying ecologically sensitive areas during early development planning.
  • Using infill and outboard wells to avoid building new well pads.
  • Employing seasonal winter ice roads and pads, minimizing permanent infrastructure.
Research and monitoring
  • Conducting environmental monitoring based on planned activities and infrastructure footprint to inform avoidance measures.
  • Using satellite monitoring to track mangrove canopy condition and assess long-term ecosystem health. 

Minimize

We minimize biodiversity impacts through measures taken to reduce the duration, intensity and/or extent of the spatial footprint of our operations. The examples in the table highlight mitigation measures implemented at selected operated assets over recent years, reflecting site‑specific operational practices shaped by local conditions.

Sensitive species, habitats or ecosystems
  • Integrating biodiversity preservation measures into the design and siting of infrastructure.
  • Adjusting lighting to reduce skyglow and associated ecological impacts.
  • Conducting marine mammal surveys to inform planning around periods of peak wildlife activity.
Physical footprint
  • Reducing surface disturbance through smaller well pads, longer drilling laterals, corridor-based development, local footprint intensity reduction target, and centralized facilities.
  • Coordinating forestry and development activities to overlap infrastructure and reduce cumulative footprint.
Research and monitoring
  • Conducting scientific field studies focused on local priority species and subsistence wildlife.
  • Implementing long-term turtle monitoring program tracking nesting and hatchlings to inform ongoing management activities.
  • Supporting marine mammal monitoring programs and community-based marine research programs. 

Restore

When impacts and disturbance cannot be avoided or further minimized, we focus on restoring affected areas through reclamation activities aimed at re‑establishing stable, productive and self‑sustaining ecosystems, while considering beneficial uses of the affected and surrounding landscapes. The examples in the table highlight mitigation measures implemented at selected operated assets over recent years, reflecting site‑specific operational practices shaped by local conditions.

Sensitive species, habitats or ecosystems
  • Creating fish overwintering habitat and supporting shorebirds, waterfowl and bears through gravel mine reclamation.
  • Incorporating Indigenous knowledge to support key local species and traditional land use.
  • Collaborating with research institution, nonprofit organization, and government to conserve and restore aquatic and terrestrial habitats on private lands.
Physical footprint
  • Reducing inactive site footprint through decommissioning and restoration.
  • Accelerating forest recovery through tree planting initiative.
  • Restoring and reclaiming seismic line disturbances.
  • Reducing habitat fragmentation through brush management, seeding, and wildlife‑friendly fencing.
Research and monitoring
  • Conducting wildlife mitigation monitoring to evaluate reclamation effectiveness.
  • Implementing vegetation monitoring to support boreal forest species recovery.
  • Researching boreal forest recovery opportunities in collaboration with Indigenous community. 

Offset

Biodiversity offsets may be used to address residual impacts that remain after avoidance, minimization and restoration measures have been implemented, or where required by regulation. The examples in the table highlight mitigation measures implemented at selected operated assets over recent years, reflecting site‑specific operational practices shaped by local conditions.

Sensitive species, habitats or ecosystems
  • Implementing biodiversity offsets to counterbalance unavoidable development impacts by protecting and restoring ecologically significant coastal and terrestrial habitats and supporting threatened and migratory species.
  • Supporting voluntary offsets to protect boreal forest, wetland-rich prairie and native grasslands habitats.
  • Integrating traditional knowledge and culturally important species and ecosystem characteristics into offset planning.
Physical footprint
  • Addressing historic and new disturbances through restoration and revegetation.
  • Implementing compensatory wetland mitigation to offset permitted wetland impacts.
Research and monitoring
  • Conducting long-term monitoring and research to assess habitat condition and species responses, support adaptive management and verify conservation outcomes. 

Indicators and metrics

We collect data and information related to species occurrence and sensitive habitats located within or adjacent to our operated assets. We focus on species characterized as at-risk, endangered, rare, significant, threatened or of cultural value, and habitats characterized as sensitive by local regulators or conservation organizations as well as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) I-VI protected areas. Data and information are used to develop indicators related to protected areas, conservation and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The information is used to inform work plans and risk assessments.

Protected areas graphic