Presentation
Challenges and Lessons Learned During a Wildlife Response After an Oil Spill of National Significance in Peru
SessionWildlife - Case Studies
DescriptionPeru is a country with spectacular marine biodiversity, most of which is located in natural protected areas. On January 15, 2022, an oil spill occurred during offloading operations from the Crude Oil Tanker Mare Doricum to a refinery in Ventanilla, a district north of Lima. Aiuká was called to assist in setting up the wildlife response. To expand response capacity, Aiuká had the initial support of Proyecto Golondrina de La Tempestad de Collar (Peru), International Bird Rescue (USA), Centro de Recuperação de Animais Marinhos (Brazil), and Fundación Mundo Marino (Argentina). The activities developed by the Aiuká team included: Wildlife Branch Operations as part of the Incident Management Team (IMT) at the Command Post, field operations, and wildlife rehabilitation. The field operations were divided into boat and beach surveys, seeking to document and find oiled and/or debilitated animals and to collect carcasses. All activities were developed in coordination with the wildlife management authorities and followed international best practices for oiled wildlife response.
From the beginning of the response, it was clear that there was a substantial lack of national experience by the authorities with oil spills of this size and complexity. The absence of guidelines for the capture, documentation, and rehabilitation of wildlife impacted by oiling caused unnecessary delays, preventing a fully integrated and successful response. The authorities found challenges in working together and for creating systems that were agreeable to one another.
Concerted efforts must be made for the future to unify and improve the regulatory framework to allow for an efficient and integrated response. During an emergency response, professional wildlife responders must be allowed to safely and immediately access all spill impacted areas, both protected and non-protected areas. Equally important is the authority for those professional responders to be allowed to collect impacted wildlife as quickly as possible to maximize chances for survival.
The primary lessons learned in Peru include:
1. There is a need for the development of clear mechanisms within the wildlife management legislation and policies to include oiled wildlife response in the existing industry contingency plans (considering dedicated staff, equipment, training, and exercises),
2. Guidelines are needed which cover documentation, response, and release of treated oiled wildlife, including specific needs for infectious disease screening,
3. Local, professional capacity to respond to oiled wildlife needs to be developed,
4. There is a lack of a dedicated rescue center for marine wildlife care.
It is up to the authorities, private companies, academia, and civil society in Peru to prevent and be prepared for future events and to better protect wildlife. This paper will examine the challenges and lessons learned as well as other critical response topics for oiled wildlife preparedness and response in Peru.
From the beginning of the response, it was clear that there was a substantial lack of national experience by the authorities with oil spills of this size and complexity. The absence of guidelines for the capture, documentation, and rehabilitation of wildlife impacted by oiling caused unnecessary delays, preventing a fully integrated and successful response. The authorities found challenges in working together and for creating systems that were agreeable to one another.
Concerted efforts must be made for the future to unify and improve the regulatory framework to allow for an efficient and integrated response. During an emergency response, professional wildlife responders must be allowed to safely and immediately access all spill impacted areas, both protected and non-protected areas. Equally important is the authority for those professional responders to be allowed to collect impacted wildlife as quickly as possible to maximize chances for survival.
The primary lessons learned in Peru include:
1. There is a need for the development of clear mechanisms within the wildlife management legislation and policies to include oiled wildlife response in the existing industry contingency plans (considering dedicated staff, equipment, training, and exercises),
2. Guidelines are needed which cover documentation, response, and release of treated oiled wildlife, including specific needs for infectious disease screening,
3. Local, professional capacity to respond to oiled wildlife needs to be developed,
4. There is a lack of a dedicated rescue center for marine wildlife care.
It is up to the authorities, private companies, academia, and civil society in Peru to prevent and be prepared for future events and to better protect wildlife. This paper will examine the challenges and lessons learned as well as other critical response topics for oiled wildlife preparedness and response in Peru.
Event Type
Paper
TimeWednesday, May 15th10:40am - 11:00am CDT
Location278-280
Remediation