Caipipendi Project in Bolivia

We use satellite imagery to improve our biodiversity protection. The Caipipendi area is located in southern Bolivia, in the departments of Tarija and Chuquisaca. It is an area of high biological diversity that is home to a great variety of species which depend on the resources of the area and its conservation is a priority. We have therefore performed a historical monitoring of the area with images from 2010 to 2016, an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), and a sensitivity map to identify our impacts and be able to mitigate them.

Historical monitoring of the area with images from 2010 to 2016

In 2014, we carried out the Environmental, Social, and Biodiversity Impact Assessment for the contract area, the Environmental, Social, and Biodiversity Baseline Study, and the preparation of a sensitivity map.

The main results of these studies have allowed us to identify the impacts of the operations in order to establish a Biodiversity Action Plan and facilitate their management. As part of this plan, during 2016 and 2017, the acquisition and interpretation of satellite images of the Caipipendi area from 2010 to 2016 was carried out.

Taking into account that the Caipipendi area is an area of high sensitivity and considering that there are other actors in the area outside our Company - such as cattle ranching, agricultural projects, or the construction of departmental and national roads - we considered it essential to carry out historical monitoring studies.

These studies, which have been carried out through the interpretation of satellite images and the use of technological resources, have enabled us to clearly identify the environmental impacts associated with our Company's activities in order to properly channel and direct our prevention and mitigation actions.

They have also allowed us to discover the real effectiveness over time of the mitigation measures applied, for example, by measuring and quantifying the effectiveness of reforestation work or erosion control work. This is essential when it comes to optimizing the environmental management actions currently being carried out and directing them appropriately in the future.

In this way, our Company demonstrates its commitment to managing biodiversity from a global perspective and following best practices in accordance with international standards in its operations in the Caipipendi area of Bolivia.

These assesments enabled us to gauge the effectiveness of the implemented mitigation measures

Operations at Caipipendi will run until 2046, in accordance with the Law on the Promotion of Investments in Hydrocarbon Exploration and Exploitation. We are committed to the country and are investing 500 million dollars to confirm the presence of gas and accelerate hydrocarbon production in exploratory prospects that have already been identified in the area.