Genel is working in collaboration with partners to protect nature and achieve no net loss of biodiversity wherever we operate. Genel works hard to protect nature through the appropriate planning, design and operation of our assets.

The Company integrates biodiversity considerations into our Environmental Management System, which is being developed in accordance to the ISO 14001 standard and ensures compliance with applicable biodiversity protection laws and regulations in areas we work.

Our aim is to align development work to the International Finance Corporation Performance Standard 6, which represents international best practice for biodiversity management. Genel has prepared a Biodiversity Management Plan (‘BMP’) that provides a framework for managing project risks and impacts specifically in relation to biodiversity and to identify and prioritise appropriate impact management actions. The BMP also provides a summary of all biodiversity actions planned for relevant projects and is seen to facilitate communication about our biodiversity risk management to external audiences such as regulators, local communities and other important stakeholders. We seek to enhance this communication and pass on our respect for the environment to the local community – concerted efforts are made to raise environmental awareness at local schools and universities and promote credible green initiatives that enhance greater sustainability.

Genel’s approach to biodiversity throughout the lifecycle of projects is best illustrated through our work at Qara Dagh, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Qara Dagh has been internationally recognised as a place of biodiversity importance and is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA). The KBA spans across 253 km2 and is home to a number of IUCN red list species, including the endangered Persian leopard, Egyptian vulture, and the vulnerable wild goat, and spur-thighed tortoise. Qara Dagh is also an Important Plant Area, with 39 endemic plant species, most of which are classified as rare or very rare by the Kurdistan Botanical Foundation