Threatened by Oil and Gas Exploration
WHS that are seen as Threatened by Oil and Gas Exploration. Must include quote from reputable source explaining the threat.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Andrefana Dry Forests | Potential: "There are natural gas deposits under the property, but the concession holder Madagascar Oil is staying away from the site, respecting the 2.5 km protective zone." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Belize Barrier Reef | Potential Threat: "A number of Petroleum Sharing Agreements (PSA) in the marine areas used to overlap or be adjacent to the property. An indefinite moratorium on petroleum operations within the limits of the marine zone of Belize was enacted" (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks | "Most of the mountain parks abut active resource extraction areas (forest harvest, oil and gas, and mining areas) and park managers have identified potential impacts to wildlife movement and species (e.g. grizzly bear, woodland caribou) posed by such activities." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Carlsbad Caverns | Potential Threat: "Currently, the most significant impact by the region's oil and gas development on the park is on the views from the park. Flaring has increased haze, limiting views of daytime vistas, and increased ambient light to impact views of the night sky." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Chaco Culture | "Energy exploration and extraction, specifically oil and gas production currently threatens viewshed and the assocciated cultural landscape" (Periodic Reporting 2013) and "On November 15, 2021, the Interior Department placed a 2-year pause of new oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands within a 10-mile buffer zone of Chaco Canyon." (see link). | |
| Dinosaur Provincial Park | "Gas exploration and development occurs on portions of the perimeter of the site and associated infrastructure has the potential to degrade the beauty of the site in those areas." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Ennedi Massif | Potential Threat: "The reduction in the area proposed for inscription was triggered by the fact that an oil concession was granted in the area which was removed from the boundaries. While this means that no oil concessions overlap with the boundaries of the site as inscribed, .... Future oil operations in the vicinity of the site may have impacts on the site's integrity and values" (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Gros Morne National Park | Potential Threat: "Potential petroleum exploration activity in the vicinity of Gros Morne remains a possibility and would be of major consequence to the property’s exceptional natural beauty and biodiversity if it were to go ahead. ... While there is currently no opportunity to bid for licenses offshore directly adjacent to Gros Morne, there is no mechanism in place to prevent the bid system from re-opening this area in the future." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Lake Malawi | "Offshore oil exploration activities have commenced in the northern part of the Lake... Although this is some distance from the World Heritage property it presents the risk of oil and other pollutants spilling into the lake, which would have far-reaching consequences. In late 2013, a second oil concession was awarded, which covers the southern part of the lake, including the entire property. .. More recently, Hamra Holdings Inc. has been licensed to explore for oil in the lake until 2022." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Maloti-Drakensberg Park | Potential: "The proposed shale gas, gas and oil exploration within the newly-proposed buffer zone has significant potential to affect the OUV of the property" (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Manu National Park | Potential Threat: "Oil and gas exploration and extraction is occurring south of the site. The Camisea gas field, one of the largest energy projects in Peru, is located in a remote area in the immediate vicinity of the site. Interest in a possible expansion despite National Park and World Heritage Site status has been repeatedly expressed which would carry significant risks to the site and the indigenous populations that inhabit it." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Ningaloo Coast | "There are several offshore oil and gas extraction operations near the site and a number of pending on- and offshore project proposals, which potentially pose a significant impact of the World Heritage values. Potential impacts include effects on migratory species, connectivity and ecological linkages within and adjacent the site, cumulative impacts including effects on migratory species from seismic testing, drilling, and operations. Offshore petroleum incidents, such as accidental discharge of oil or other pollutants pose a significant and most likely irreversible threat to the marine life and ecosystems." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Paraty and Ilha Grande | "reservoirs located along the marine sedimentary basins, .., in waters between 2,000 and 3,000 meters deep and at distances ranging from 50 to 450 km from the coast. In their central part, the projects are located in front of the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Possible environmental impacts such as oil leaks, beach contamination, introduction of exotic invasive organisms and others, are related to the activities of the production pilots." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Selous Game Reserve | Potential Threat: "To this day, there appears to be a lack of clarity in terms of mineral exploration and exploitation in the property and a major overlap between the game reserve and exploration and extraction licenses becomes obvious from publicly accessible cadasters." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Si Thep | See link and ICOMOS advice "Ensuring that new oil drilling projects are strictly prohibited in the property and its buffer zones, and in the wider setting, particularly the area that lies between the buffer zones" | |
| Tubbataha Reefs | Potential Threat: "There is continued interest in the Philippines to explore for oil/gas in the Sulu Sea. However, exploration is forbidden within the Marine Park and buffer zone." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Virunga National Park | "Most of Virunga National Park is covered by 3 oil prospection blocks (Blocks III, IV, and V).... The World Heritage Committee has repeatedly expressed its concern regarding the existance of oil concessions in Virunga National Park and requested the DRC government to not issue any more exploration permits for Virunga NP." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Wadden Sea | "No new exploitation installations for oil and gas are permitted in the World Heritage site. One existing installation, the Mittelplate, was excised from the site, as well as a gas exploitation area in the Netherlands. .. Subsidence as a result of gas extraction in the Dutch part of the Wadden Sea is causing impacts, with a maximum of 42cm subsidence reported in 2015 underneath Ameland island." (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Waterton Glacier International Peace Park | Potential Threat: "These actions [The Province of British Columbia banned oil and gas and mining in most of the Canadian Flathead Valley in 2010 (British Columbia, Province of and State of Montana, 2010); North Fork Watershed Protection Act (2014)] have reduced a major threat of fragmentation in the lands connecting the World Heritage site with other montane habitats along the Rocky Mountains" (IUCN Outlook 2020) | |
| Wrangel Island | "Recent research indicates that the hydrocarbon potential in the South Chukchi Basin may be significantly higher than previously suggested. ... The interplay of oceanic advection, limited emergency response capacities and arctic weather conditions suggests that Wrangel Island, including important polar bear habitat, would likely be affected by spills even in considerable distances from the site." (IUCN Outlook 2020) |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Threatened by Oil and Gas Exploration?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source