Following an oil spill it is essential to avoid or mitigate potential impacts on vulnerable species such as birds, mammals and reptiles. Having in place a dedicated and integrated oiled wildlife response plan and contracted expert responders offers the highest probability to minimise animal mortalities and potential damage to reputation.
Oiled wildlife response preparedness is a highly specialised field that requires professional expertise, skills and equipment for it to be effectively implemented. For the last nine years Oil Spill Response Limited has partnered with the Sea Alarm Foundation to:
- Encourage our Members to develop plans and capabilities while improving industry's global oiled wildlife response capabilities,
- Develop response systems, tools and programmes
- Maximise engagement from local stakeholders such as regulators and NGOs.
Oiled Wildlife, are we prepared? See what happened in the Bow Jubail spill in Rotterdam Harbour in 2018.
Wildlife services that have been developed in collaboration with the Sea Alarm include:
- Post-incident analysis of oiled wildlife responses and lessons learned
- Guidelines on oiled wildlife response planning and preparedness for industry and governments
- Oiled Wildlife response training and awareness courses for planners, managers and hands-on personnel
- Advice on the design and purchase of Tier 1 stockpiles of equipment
- Scripting, design, moderation and delivery of wildlife response table top exercises, field exercises, facility exercises, drills
- Delivered tailored oiled wildlife response plans for industry and government following risk and scenario analysis, field assessments, and multi-stakeholder and capability analysis
- Multi-year capability development, implementing a key aspect of corporate social responsibility
- Oiled wildlife impact modelling and the development of interactive demonstration and decision support tools
Oiled wildlife plans should be integrated into a wider Oil Spill Response Plan and incorporate the cooperation of wildlife and oil spill response experts and relevant stakeholders. For details of Sea Alarm's SLA services to OSRL Members, please download the PDF on this page.
To discuss our Oiled Wildlife Preparedness services please contact us.
Key industry guidance on oiled wildlife response:
IPIECA-IOGP Good Practice Guide on Wildlife Response Preparedness
Additional information:
POSOW project delivering volunteer training and manuals
EUROWA project
To develop and establish a module consisting of oiled wildlife response experts and a stockpile of critical equipment. Both of which can be rapidly mobilised by governments in the event of an oil spill:
Multiple resources on topics ranging from training, preparedness, response options, publications etc on the EUROWA Project website