Abstract: Environmental Considerations for Petroleum Exploration in Rain Forests

Paul A. Cox

Exploration for hydrocarbons in the World's rain forests offers environmental challenges that are unique. With technological advances allowing remote tree covered regions to be explored more readily, the clash between exploration practices and their adverse impact upon the environment becomes ever more dramatic. For some the resolution is either total disregard for environmental quality or total absence of any exploration whatsoever. These polar extremes are not the solution and seeking one or the other too often freezes people and public concern in one or the other of these camps. A better solution is to make all parties aware of the essential and often unique qualities of the rain forest then adopting proper and cost effective means.

Rain forests are not the same over the world. While they have some common qualities each rain forest has particular characteristics that are essential to know about and hopefully protect. Approximately 60-70% of the earth's plant and animal species are found in or closely associated with rain forests. By number alone there should be concern for man's impact upon this biota. But another factor is not well understood, namely that there are specific plant and animal species in a given rain forest that are unique. Once they are killed then they are gone forever. That may seem, to some, a minor lost but not so. There are several plants species that have critical medicinal value. Botanists are just recently beginning to scratch the surface of the untold numbers of plants that have these inc edible healing ingredients.

Diseases and other maladies can be and are being treated and often cured by these medicine plants. The practice of using these plants had been practiced in some primitive cultures. Yet in our modern society we are woefully ignorant of many of these plants and their benefits. Studies indicate that there are many large scale benefits for mankind yet to be discovered. Awareness of this potential benefit and how to plan and execute a proper petroleum exploration program are essential for mankind and the petroleum industry.

Exploration in rain forests can be both cost effective and environmentally acceptable.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90986©1994 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 12-15, 1994