The vulnerability of tropical peatlands to oil and gas exploration and extraction
The vulnerability of tropical peatlands to oil and gas exploration and extraction
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DOI：
10.1177/27539687221124046
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发表时间：
2022-10
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影响因子：
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通讯作者：
I. Lawson;E. H. Honorio Coronado;L. Andueza;L. Cole;G. Dargie;Althea L. Davies;N. Laurie;I. Okafor-Yarw
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文献类型：
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作者：
I. Lawson;E. H. Honorio Coronado;L. Andueza;L. Cole;G. Dargie;Althea L. Davies;N. Laurie;I. Okafor-Yarw
热带泥炭地储存了全球大量的碳，在生态和文化上具有重要意义，但人们对它们在石油和天然气勘探和开采方面的脆弱性知之甚少。在这里，我们分析了暴露的热带泥炭地的石油工业的活动，并审查已知的泥炭地对这些活动的敏感性。我们发现，热带泥炭地总面积的8.3%（107，000平方公里）与石油和天然气基础设施周围30公里的缓冲区重叠。主要重叠地区包括苏门答腊盆地（印度尼西亚）、尼日尔三角洲（尼日利亚）和普图马约-东方-马拉尼翁盆地（秘鲁/厄瓜多尔/哥伦比亚）。记录在案的环境影响包括与油田勘探和开发有关的森林砍伐和生境丧失，以及石油和采出水（井盐水）泄漏造成的污染。泥炭地及其提供的生态系统服务对这些影响很敏感，这是由于其生态和水文学的独特方面，流动的水很容易传播污染物，污染物在泥炭中的长期储存，以及在缺氧和积水条件下石油的缓慢降解。考虑到对人类健康、资源安全、生物多样性和碳储存的潜在负面影响，我们提出了一个研究议程，以提供更好的证据基础来支持有效的治理。
Tropical peatlands store globally significant quantities of carbon and are ecologically and culturally important, but little is known about their vulnerability to oil and gas exploration and extraction. Here, we analyse the exposure of tropical peatlands to the activities of the petroleum industry and review what is known about the sensitivity of peatlands to these activities. We find that 8.3% (107,000 km2) of the total area of tropical peatlands overlaps with a 30-km buffer area around oil and gas infrastructure. Major areas of overlap include the Sumatra Basin (Indonesia), the Niger Delta (Nigeria) and the Putumayo-Oriente-Marañón Basin (Peru/Ecuador/Colombia). Documented environmental impacts include deforestation and habitat loss associated with the exploration and development of oil fields, and contamination from spills of oil and produced water (well brine). Peatlands, and the ecosystem services they provide, are sensitive to these impacts due to unique aspects of their ecology and hydrology, the easy spread of contamination by flowing water, the long-term storage of contaminants in peat, and the slow degradation of oil under anoxic, waterlogged conditions. Given the potential negative consequences for human health, resource security, biodiversity, and carbon storage, we propose a research agenda to provide an improved evidence base to support effective governance.