Abstract
Despite of the different approaches in the international literature concerning good practices for exploration and production of oil and gas in tropical rainforests, e.g. EBI, Petrobras, UNEP, we did not have yet a more detailed and conclusive set of recommendations for the Amazon region. To fill this gap and aware of its responsibilities for the conservation of the environment, the Brazilian National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) started a discussion process culminating in a workshop held on April 2009, when a set of guidelines was established with the participation of representatives of universities, environmental agencies and industries working in the Amazon region. Based in a draft document presented by the Agency, new guidelines were defined considering both strategic and operational viewpoints; operational guidelines were detailed for the different segments of E&P activities: seismic operations, provision of accesses, drilling, development and production, transport, and decommissioning. In order to assure a participatory approach, discussions were organized in subgroups, always with the participation of industry and environmental agencies representatives. Also, in order to take the maximum advantage of the expertise of the universities and research institutions, the subgroups were organized in four environmental thematic compartments: soil, hydrology, vegetation, and biodiversity; and two others aiming territorial planning and socioeconomics. Besides the consolidated guidelines, a set of research and territorial planning recommendations, in the view of oil and gas exploration and production in the Amazon region, also resulted from discussions. The guidelines will be considered by the Agency as a baseline for the elaboration of contract terms for its research projects in the Amazon. ANP also recommends the adoption of the guidelines as a benchmark by the environmental agencies when evaluating oil and gas projects in the region. The whole process, by its scope and participatory configuration, can be decisive to ensure the environmental safety in the eventual expansion of the oil and gas industry in the region. This paper evaluates the main difficulties of the process and methodology, indicating its positive points and the difficulties to overcome in order to replicate the process in other environmentally sensitive areas.
