BIODIVERSITY

We follow a rigorous site assessment program to help ensure protection of land and water resources, wildlife and habitats during our operational lifecycle. Developed by biology and environmental experts, our process aligns development plans with a thoughtful approach to ecosystem protection.

Identification

During site planning and development, we identify wildlife, habitats and areas with high biodiversity or conservation value.

Assessment

We host assessment sessions with internal experts to evaluate our development plans, determine risk levels and, when needed, recommend mitigation strategies.

Management

Our goal is to avoid impacts, particularly to wildlife, habitats and habitat features such as wetlands and old growth forests. Avoidance, minimization, and mitigation are the strategies we apply to manage risk for biodiversity at a site-specific levelAvoidance is the preferred strategy, but where we cannot avoid, we aim to minimize or mitigate our potential impact to achieve the most beneficial outcome possible for biodiversity given site-specific factors.  

Taking time for tadpoles

During a routine wellsite reclamation project, our Canadian Regulatory team identified hundreds of Western Toad tadpoles, a federal species of special concern, in a shallow waterbody onsite. To ensure these tadpoles were not disturbed during the reclamation activities, our team paused the project to allow the tadpoles to develop into terrestrial toadlets. While waiting for this natural transformation to occur, the team installed a silt fence at the waterbody boundary to guide the future toadlets into the offsite forest area away from the reclamation footprint where heavy equipment would be active. The tadpoles were monitored for several weeks during the summer and when all had transformed into toadlets and exited the waterbody safely, the reclamation project resumed.  

Building habitat for wild turkeys

Beginning in 2019, Ovintiv has partnered with the National Wild Turkey Federation to restore approximately 25 acres of previously disturbed land to native grasslands, which would create habitat for wild turkeys, pollinators, and other wildlife. A seed mix of native grasses, forbs and legumes was planted and has started to take root. A management plan to maintain the habitat has been established to enable ongoing growth and revegetation.

Assessing Biodiversity in our Operations

After an internal biodiversity assessment of our operating areas, we concluded that we do not have proved or probable reserves in or near the following sites with protected conservation status or endangered species habitat:

  • Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance
  • UNESCO World Heritage Sites
  • Biosphere reserves recognized within the framework of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Program
  • Natura 2000