SUSTAINABLE OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY: GUIDELINES FOR AN EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS ON MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

Marine ecosystems are naturally variable across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Disturbances caused by human activities have the potential to alter natural patterns, but such disturbances can be difficult to detect or measure because they must be differentiated from a background of natural spatial and temporal variation. Therefore, an unambiguous assessment of the effects of impacts on marine communities remains the first requirement for 1) determining whether any management action is necessary, and 2) if so, planning sustainable strategies of management. Appropriate and effective assessment of impacts on marine ecosystems has to couple with natural variability at different spatial scales, compare species assemblages near and far from platforms, and model spatial variability. A set of predictor parameters to be analysed has to be set up. Uniformity in the procedures for collecting and processing samples is also of paramount importance to allow comparisons of different EIA studies. In this paper criteria for an effective experimental design, and standard protocols for the analyses of the key variables required by scientifically sound and defendable EIA are proposed.