Impact and Implications of an International Oiled Wildlife Response Preparedness Project

Abstract

2017-133 December 2016 marked the conclusion of a two-year global oiled wildlife response preparedness project, funded by the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers/IPIECA Oil Spill Response-Joint Industry Project (IOGP/IPIECA OSR-JIP). This project brought together leading oiled wildlife response organizations from seven countries to design a preparedness and response system that would support the mobilization and integration of tier 3 (international) wildlife response resources if activated by the oil industry or other stakeholders. The project outcomes include written standards and procedures that represent a further step towards integration of oiled wildlife preparedness and response as an oil industry standard worldwide, and allow for the foundations of a global approach to be built upon good practice as defined by the international oiled wildlife response community. 2017 sees the system entering a second (beta) phase with a further funding commitment being provided by the oil industry via Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL). Building on the introduction and overview to this project as presented at the International Oil Spill Conference in 2014 (Kelway et al., 2014), this paper will explore key outcomes and assess the project’s impact and implications, particularly in relation to the present and future role of multi-stakeholder collaboration in the advancement of global oiled wildlife response preparedness.