Life on land
We work to protect biodiversity near our operations in a number of different ways around the world. We seek to understand and respond to any potential impacts our activities may have on biodiversity or ecosystem services - the benefits that people or businesses derive from ecosystems, such as food and clean water.
Read examples of our work to protect biodiversity on land:
Biodiversity in Australia
The Australian government has approved a biodiversity offset plan from the Shell-operated QGC gas project which includes protecting an area with a rich ecosystem. QGC had acquired the Valkyrie property in 2015 as a biodiversity offset to compensate for clearing vegetation and habitat for the development of gas resources. It is located next to the Dipperu National Park and contains large areas of eucalyptus woodlands, endangered brigalow woodlands, semi evergreen vine thickets, riparian vegetation and wetlands.
Restoring biodiversity in the Niger Delta
The IUCN-Niger Delta Panel was established in 2012 at the request of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC). Managed by IUCN, it comprised experts from around the world to provide science-based recommendations to help restore biodiversity at sites affected by oil spills and on enhanced remediation techniques within SPDC's areas of operation in the Niger Delta. The panel's work finished in 2016 but IUCN and SPDC continue to work together to improve the recovery of biodiversity at specific sites.
Restoring the land in western India
A once-barren 1,200-hectare area of land on the Hazira Peninsula in western India now thrives with flora and fauna as the result of an eco-restoration project initiated by Shell and its partners. The land, located close to the Hazira LNG Terminal and Port joint venture, is also providing an extra source of food and income for local residents.
Living shorelines to reduce erosion
We worked with The Nature Conservancy to develop a nature-based approach that would benefit the coastal ecosystem as well as control pipeline erosion in the Louisiana coastal zone. This is done by creating "living shorelines", bringing in soil and rock and planting native vegetation to improve coastal resilience.
One such living shoreline was constructed by Shell. Within several months, the constructed shoreline appeared more stable, and vegetation is reclaiming the area, helping to protect the pipeline and coastal area. Shell continues to assess its long-term performance.
Oyster conservation and restoration in the USA
Oyster populations are vital to the health of Louisiana’s estuaries which flow into the Gulf of Mexico. They filter nutrients, fine sediments and toxins from the water. They also improve water quality and protect shorelines. Oyster conservation and restoration is one of the funding priorities of the Shell Marine Habitat programme, a partnership between Shell and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
In New Orleans, Shell supported a pilot project encouraging restaurants to recycle oyster shells. The shells are cleaned and placed along the Gulf shoreline, where they become fertile grounds for new oyster crops.
Watch how a Louisiana programme collects hundreds of tonnes of shells from restaurants to return them to the shore
CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program- 161015
Duration: 5:12 minutes
CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program- 161015 Film Transcript
[Background music plays]
Slinky jazz tune, saxophones and piano, male singer
[Lyrics]
Now, won’t you come along with me… down the Mississippi…
[Text displays]
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program
Presented by Shell
[Graphic]
Blue triangle with thick, solid blue outline, a white chevron in the middle of each side of the triangle. In the centre of the triangle are three grey oyster shells
The Shell emblem follows the text
[Video footage]
Neon sign reads Oysters
Close-up of oysters on the half-shell on a bed of ice
Close-up of an oyster being shucked
Camera zooms out from close-up of a small fishing vessel on a river or the sea.
[Music ends]
[Title]
Rene LeBreton
Public Information Director for the Office of Fisheries
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
[René LeBreton]
‘'Louisiana has the largest oyster, harvested oyster landings in the Gulf of Mexico. Like 70% of the oyster harvest comes from Louisiana. It’s a significant economic value to our state. We have thousands of commercial fishermen, processors, restaurants that rely on the industry for their living.’’
[Video footage]
Fishermen on a small fishing vessel haul up a large oyster trap from the water.
A man in a factory or kitchen is seen shucking a pile of oysters.
Close-up of oysters on a barbecue. The cook is pouring liquid of some sort on them as they lie on the grill.
Camera pans around the prow of the small fishing vessel. A man onboard holds out a large oyster in his hand for the camera to pick up.
[Title]
Derek Newberry
General Manger of Safety
Shell
[Derek Newberry]
‘'We want to have a positive impact on the community and on the environment, so Shell got involved with the Oyster Recycling Program.’’
[Video footage]
A river scene: a small, fast-moving fishing vessel moves along the river. The camera follows the vessel’s progress and pans upward to show the unusual gantry projecting from the vessel’s cabin.
[Derek Newberry]
‘'In this innovative project that was brought to us we could see how it could have an impact across so many facets for the people of Southeast Louisiana, and that’s what really attracted us to work with CRCL on this project.’’
[Video footage]
Footage of a strange-looking fishing vessel; the cabin is raised high above the deck and the craft sits low in the water. It sails by huge mounds of oyster shells.
[Title]
Hilary Collis
Restoration Program Director
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
[Hilary Collis]
“So the program developed through a unique partnership that we formed with Shell, the restaurants who participate and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.”
[Text displays]
Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program
Presented by Shell
[Graphic]
Blue triangle with thick, solid blue outline, a white chevron in the middle of each side of the triangle. In the centre of the triangle are three grey oyster shells
The Shell emblem follows the text
Names of restaurants participating in the program scroll into view in two rows along the bottom of the screen
[Hilary Collis]
“In addition to Louisiana being one of the largest producers of oysters in the country, we also experience what we call a shell deficit, in that about 60% of the shell that is removed from our coast is not returned to help build and sustain future oyster reefs.”
[Video footage]
Camera pans out from close-up on restaurant names: Oyster Bar and pêche [sic].
[Title]
Ryan Prewitt
Chef / Owner
Peche
[Ryan Prewitt]
‘'We already knew that oysters like to set on oyster shells and that oyster shells returned to the water are a logical foundation for growth of new oysters.’’
[Video footage]
Camera pans around the interior of an empty seafood restaurant.
[Ryan Prewitt]
‘'So when we were approached about the oyster shell recycling program, it was immediately a perfect fit.’’
[Video footage]
Camera pans out from close-up of restaurant name, Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House Seafood
[Title]
Dickie Brennan
Owner / Managing Partner
Bourbon House
[Dickie Brennan]
‘'We’ve always wanted to do recycling, when all of a sudden, because of CRCL, come up with a plan that we could recycle.’’
[Video footage]
A kitchen employee empties a large wastebin of oyster shells into a larger refuse bin.
[Dickie Brennan]
‘'I knew it would be successful, but what I didn’t know was that it would right out the gate become the largest oyster recycling program in this country.’’
[Video footage]
Close-up of gloved hands shucking oysters from a very large basin.
[Dickie Brennan]
‘'So it’s been great to be a part of it, and, you know, hats off to everybody. It’s a great project.’’
[Video footage]
Camera pans out from close-up of restaurant name, Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House Seafood, to show people gathered on the pavement outside. The street is narrow and quaint.
[Title]
Jake Palmer
Senior Director of Operations
ACME Oyster House
[Jake Palmer]
‘'Well, we were excited to get started with the program because we feel like there’s a big responsibility on the restaurants that use oyster shell stock to encourage the sustainability of that industry.’’
[Video footage]
A man offloads and stacks bags of fresh oysters from the back of a delivery vehicle.
Three kitchen staff work side-by-side at shucking oysters in a long stainless steel basin which is filled to the brim with oysters in their shells.
[Jake Palmer]
‘'And so now by separating those, that shell out and putting them into the cans and having the CRCL come pick them up and they’re being repurposed and used to help rebuild the coast.’’
[Video footage]
Camera pans out from restaurant sign, Luke
[Title]
Drake Leonards
Executive Chef
Luke
[Drake Leonards]
‘'The staff’s excited about it.’’
[Video footage]
Close-up of oysters and lobsters on ice in a display tank in a restaurant. A small card reads Local P & J Oysters
[Drake Leonards]
‘'To be able to give back, to be able to make an impact and leave the whole place better than we found it is kind of something that we really take pride in and we’re really excited to be able to give back.’’
[Title]
Tommy Cvitanovich
Owner
Drago’s
[Tommy Cvitanovich]
‘'Actually, it’s two things: I mean, it helps with rebuilding oyster reefs and oyster beds and that’s obviously very important.’’
[Video footage]
Camera pans out from close-up of restaurant name, Drago’s Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar
Camera pans out from a close-up of a Drago’s signboard in the shape of a giant oyster half-shell. The Drago name is emblazoned on a giant pearl nestled in the shell.
[Tommy Cvitanovich]
‘'And it builds back our coastline and it helps slow down the eroding, so it’s kind of twofold, so you get double the money for your buck.’’
[Video footage]
Footage of an open-plan restaurant kitchen. Kitchen staff are busy within. A neon sign above the kitchen reads Louisiana Seafood.
Close-up of oysters on a bed of ice.
Kitchen staff emptying bags of oysters into a stone channel running along the kitchen counter.
Camera pans out from close-up of restaurant name, Red Fish Grill, to show pedestrians walking along the pavement. The street is narrow and quaint.
[Title]
Austin Kirzner
Executive Chef
Red Fish Grill
[Austin Kirzner]
‘'We shuck tonnes of sacks of oysters each year, and for them to not go into landfills, to get back into the Gulf, has been a really easy transition for us.’’
[Video footage]
Close-up of Red Fish Grill’s CRCL supporter statement. It reads: You can shuck ‘em, don’t just chuck ‘em! Order your favorite oyster dish and the shells from your purchase will be used to help restore Louisiana’s coast.
[Austin Kirzner]
‘'The program has given us the vessels for it; they come pick it up. It’s really a seamless operation.’’
[Video footage]
Camera zooms out from a close-up of a lit-up sign, Oyster Bar, which hangs above the restaurant bar.
[Title]
Christopher Prasad
Owner
Phoenix Recycling
[Christopher Prasad]
‘'Right, so this is a 35-gallon oyster shell recycling bin. Basically, what happens is we provide restaurants, locations with one of these bins or, depending upon the volume that they produce, a number of these bins, and they’re picked up five days a week.’’
[Video footage]
Camera zooms out from a close-up of large purple bin, bearing the program’s emblem and name, to show a row of such bins.
Close-up of the program name on the side of a bin. The following is printed below it: The Green Company Phoenix Recycling and Disposal Services 504.229.4244.
[Hilary Collis]
‘'All right, well, here it is, the CRCL Oyster Shell Recycling Shell Pile down in Buras, Louisiana.’’
[Video footage]
Camera zooms out from close-up of an enormous mound of oyster shells in a landfill.
[Hilary Collis]
‘'I’m standing on one year’s worth of oyster, recycled oyster shell that’s been collected from 11 different restaurants in the New Orleans region. Soon this oyster shell will be used by CRCL and a team of our hardworking volunteers to be used for future oyster reef restoration projects.’’
[Video footage]
Camera pans upwards from ground level to show Hilary Collis standing on a vast pile of oyster shells.
Camera draws further back to show the size and scale of the oyster shell pile.
Camera pans right 180° to show us the vast pile of oyster shells.
[Hilary Collis]
‘'For the future of the program, we are looking to increase the number of restaurants participating in the New Orleans region.’’
[Video footage]
View of quaint building facades on a New Orleans street.
View of a narrow New Orleans street, pedestrians going to and fro.
[Hilary Collis]
‘'We’re currently actively recruiting restaurants who’d like to sign up. We are able to offer this program to these restaurants free of charge, if they’re interested, and we’re looking to add all these restaurants, starting on July 1st, 2015. Beyond expansion in New Orleans, we’re also developing a model of what oyster shell recycling would look like in Baton Rouge. We’d like to move this program, keep moving it west and look to engage other cities in the process, and that includes modeling how the program will work and seeking additional funding support.’’
[Video footage]
Camera zooms in on man offloading sacks of oysters from the back of a delivery vehicle.
View of two men shucking oysters in a processing plant.
[Hilary Collis]
‘'And, lastly, we’d like to look to see if there is a potential for other shucking houses and seafood processors to get involved.’’
[Music plays]
Piano tinkling.
[Hilary Collis]
‘'The CRCL Oyster Shell Recycling Program is a simple and delicious way to help restore our coast.’’
[Text displays]
Special Thanks to Shell and LDWF
[Graphic]
Blue triangle with thick, solid blue outline, a white chevron in the middle of each side of the triangle. In the centre of the triangle are three grey oyster shells
[Text displays]
Visit CRCL.org
[Drake Leonards]
‘'Once you shuck ‘em, don’t just chuck ‘em.’’
[Austin Kirzner]
‘'Once you shuck ‘em, don’t just chuck ‘em.’’
[Tommy Cvitanovich]
‘'Once you shuck ‘em, don’t just chuck ‘em.’’
[Jake Palmer]
‘'Once you shuck ‘em, don’t just chuck ‘em.’’
[Ryan Prewitt]
‘'Once you shuck ‘em, don’t just chuck ‘em.’’
[Voice offscreen]
‘'[Inaudible]. A little.’’
[Ryan Prewitt]
‘'It’s hard not to do without a little country twang, I think.’’
[Voice offscreen]
‘'Shuck ‘em [inaudible].’’
[Ryan Prewitt]
‘'Yeah!’’
[Graphic]
Three flying pelicans encircled by the words Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
The words Our Coast, Our Future appear below
[Music ends]
Biodiversity data access
Shell was one of the industry players convened by the UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre to form Proteus. This forum provides access to global data to inform industry decisions and has helped to improve the accuracy and completeness of the World Database on Protected Areas, which now has information on 220,000 protected areas. In Shell, we are using the data to screen new projects for potential biodiversity issues.
More in sustainability
Biodiversity
Our projects can affect local natural habitats and communities that depend on them. Read about our work on biodiversity around the world.
Climate change and energy transitions
A key role for society – and for Shell – is to find ways to provide much more energy with less carbon dioxide.