Barrow Island Environmental Management and Protection

Thirty-five miles (56 km) offshore from Western Australia, Barrow Island’s isolation secured its status as an ‘A’ Class nature reserve -- the highest possible rating – in 1910.

Today, the rugged, 145-square-mile (234 sq. km) island is home to 227 native plants, 14 mammal species, 110 types of birds, and 54 species of reptile, including the giant perentie, the world’s second-largest lizard. Eight rare marsupials are native to Barrow.

Such natural abundance flourishes in the presence of Australia’s second-largest petroleum operation – ChevronTexaco’s Barrow Island oil field. But producing 300 million barrels of oil has required more than 10,000 cargo landings have been recorded since the field’s inception.

Each shipment poses the risk of introducing nonnative plants and pests. Yet today, the island’s pristine ecosystem remains essentially intact. No known feral animals inhabit Barrow; indeed, it stands as the continent’s – possibly the world’s – largest remaining land mass free of black rat infestation.

Since before oil production began in 1967 ChevronTexaco Australia Pty Ltd (then Western Australia Petroleum Pty Ltd) and its partners at Barrow followed disciplined quarantine procedures. For example, to prevent weed and/or animal infestation at an airport repair project, metal-containing aggregate for the project was subject to quarry site inspections by a botanist prior to importing.

An October 2001 mammal monitoring demonstrated the success of these efforts, confirming secure status for marsupials that are rare or no longer exist on Australia’s mainland. The quarantine procedures are an official part of ChevronTexaco’s corporate Health, Safety and Environment effort. Violations are reported, investigated, and subject to corrective action. Continuing environmental instruction is required of all workers.

Ongoing ChevronTexaco efforts to protect Barrow include: active environmental research; upgraded weed control, and biological monitoring. Further initiatives are scheduled at least through 2004.

In the absence of regulations requiring the quarantining of species on Barrow – and commencing well before the passage of environmental legislation in Australia – the ChevronTexaco program provides an industry benchmark and a worldwide standard for offshore island petroleum operations.