Stockpiling disrupts the biological integrity of topsoil for ecological restoration

Purpose Biotic and abiotic properties of soils can hinder or facilitate ecological restoration, and management practices that impact edaphic factors can strongly influence plant growth and restoration outcomes. Salvaged topsoil is an invaluable resource for mine-site restoration, and a common practice is topsoil transfer from mined areas to restoration sites. However, direct transfer is often not feasible, necessitating storage in stockpiles. We evaluated the effects of topsoil stockpiling on plant performance across diverse ecosystems impacted by mining throughout Western Australia. Methods We conducted a bioassay experiment using a widespread native Acacia species to assess how topsoil storage might impact plant growth, physiology, and nodulation by N-fixing bacteria using soils from native reference vegetation and stockpiled soils from six mine sites across Western Australia. Results Plant responses varied across mine sites, but overall plants performed better in soils collected from native vegetation, exhibiting greater biomass, more root nodules, and higher water-use efficiency compared to those grown in stockpiled soils. Soil physiochemistry showed few and minor differences between native soils and stockpiles. Conclusion Results strongly suggest observed differences in plant performance were biotic in nature. This study highlights the negative effects of topsoil storage on the biological integrity of soil across diverse ecosystems, with important implications for mine-site restoration; our results show that topsoil management can strongly influence plant performance, and stockpiled soils are likely inferior to recently disturbed topsoil for restoration purposes. We also use this study to illustrate the utility of bioassays for assessing soil quality for ecological restoration.

Indonesia Well Abandonment Standard Gap Analysis; A Review and Suggestion

The old oil and gas wells of approximately 70% are found to have no economic value in Indonesia, leading to being abandoned during the end of their lifecycle, as ruled by the government. This is part of decommissioning an entire field with an environmental preservation program, known as an Abandonment and Site Restoration (ASR). The program involves the evaluation of international permanent abandonment standards, as references for the designs, comparisons, and assessments of Indonesia’s policies. It also provides contrast gap analysis and suggestions in ensuring a proper permanent plug and abandonment approach, to avoid any future leaks or re-abandonment operations. Therefore, this study aims to determine and evaluate the gap analysis between Indonesia and International Well Abandonment Standards, as well as OGUK and NORSOK D-010. The results showed that abandonment activities had improvement opportunities philosophy, and practice, used for plugging/isolations, control lines, as well as reservoir and annular barriers. In addition, literature studies were performed to understand the abandonment philosophy for all reviewed standards, to provide proper suggestions or improvements.

Evaluating restoration trajectories using DNA metabarcoding of ground-dwelling and airborne invertebrates and associated plant communities

Invertebrates are important for restoration processes as they are key drivers of many landscape-scale ecosystem functions, including pollination, nutrient cycling and soil formation. However, invertebrates are often overlooked in restoration monitoring because they are highly diverse, poorly described, and time-consuming to survey, and require increasingly scarce taxonomic expertise to enable identification. DNA metabarcoding is a relatively new tool for rapid survey that is able to address some of these concerns, and provide information about the taxa with which invertebrates are interacting via food webs and habitat. Here we evaluate how invertebrate communities may be used to determine ecosystem trajectories during restoration. We collected ground-dwelling and airborne invertebrates across chronosequences of mine-site restoration in three ecologically disparate locations in Western Australia and identified invertebrate and plant communities using DNA metabarcoding. Ground-dwelling invertebrates showed the clearest restoration signals, with communities becoming more similar to reference communities over time. These patterns were weaker in airborne invertebrates, which have higher dispersal abilities and therefore less local fidelity to environmental conditions. Although we detected directional changes in community composition indicative of invertebrate recovery, patterns observed were inconsistent between study locations. The inclusion of plant assays allowed identification of plant species, as well as potential food sources and habitat. We demonstrate that DNA metabarcoding of invertebrate communities can be used to evaluate restoration trajectories. Testing and incorporating new monitoring techniques such as DNA metabarcoding is critical to improving restoration outcomes.

Onshore Site Restoration; Overview and Lesson Learned

Ministerial Regulation of Energy and Mineral Resources (PerMen ESDM) No. 15/2018 and PTK-040 (PTK–040 /SKKMA0000/2018/S0) rev-1, which serve as the recent abandonment and site restoration (ASR) legal basis, mandated Oil and Gas upstream activity to perform EBA (Environmental Based Assessment) prior to or at the contract expiration date, or end-of-contract (EOC). The result of EBA which leads to ASR planning and activities, includes well plug & abandonment (P&A), facility decommissioning, and site restoration activities. The purpose of site restoration is to eliminate environmental risks by performing clean-up of the identified impacted sites from upstream exploitation and production operation activities. Onshore site restoration activities, as part of ASR, refers to several technical regulatory references. They include Ministerial Regulation of Environment (PerMenLH) No. 33/2009 concerning step-by-step Site Restoration Activity (site clearing, delineation, excavation, sampling, segregation, treatment), Governmental Regulation (PP) No. 101/2014 Attachment V. concerning reference of target analyte parameter and criteria, and Ministerial Decree of Environment (KepMenLH) No. 128/2003 on treatment method. This paper intends to provide information, which include overview, and lessons learned from onshore site restoration, as part of ASR activities, to stakeholders who may be subject to ASR implementation.

ACCOUNTING RECOGNITION OF ASSET ABANDONMENT AND SITE RESTORATION

<p><em>This research will discuss the recognition of asset abandonment and site restoration or commonly known as ARO (Asset Retirement Obligation) in oil and gas company. The purpose is to be able to provide an overview that can be used by companies in calculating ARO that must be paid at the end of the contract period. The formulation of the problem is which method is used to determining the amount of asset abandonment and site restoration or ARO that is appropriate to overcome the potential problems that arise at the end of the contract period. This research is carried out by using a mixed method in analyzing the findings, so it will find the in-depth findings which will be useful to assist the company's management in making decisions. Signal theory is a theory that will be chosen in this research. This research will use three stages of analysis, such as descriptive analysis, content analysis, and constant comparative analysis. Based on the results it might found that the recognition of asset abandonment and site restoration carried out according to regulations apply. While company uses the method of calculating liabilities based on future values that is continually calculate in present value.</em></p><p><em> </em></p><p><strong><em>Keywords:</em></strong><em> Contingent liabilities, provisions, liability for asset abandonment and site restoration</em></p>

Evaluating restoration trajectories using DNA metabarcoding of invertebrates and their associated plant communities

Invertebrate communities provide many critical ecosystem functions (e.g. pollination, decomposition, herbivory and soil formation), and have been identified as indicators of ecological restoration. Unfortunately, invertebrates are often overlooked in restoration monitoring because they are time-consuming to survey, often require rare taxonomic expertise, and there are many undescribed species. DNA metabarcoding is a tool to rapidly survey invertebrates and can also provide information about plants with which those invertebrates are interacting. Here we evaluate how invertebrate communities may be used to determine ecosystem trajectories during restoration. We collected ground-dwelling and airborne invertebrates across chronosequences of mine-site restoration in three ecologically different locations in Western Australia, and identified invertebrate and plant communities using DNA metabarcoding. Ground-dwelling invertebrates showed the clearest restoration signals, with communities becoming more similar to reference communities over time. These patterns were weaker in airborne invertebrates, which have higher dispersal abilities and therefore less local fidelity to environmental conditions. Invertebrate community recovery was most evident in ecosystems with relatively stable climax communities, while the trajectory in the Pilbara, with its harsh climate and unpredictable monsoonal flooding, was unclear. Plant assay results indicate invertebrates are foraging locally, providing data about interactions between invertebrates and their environment. Thus, we show how DNA metabarcoding of invertebrate communities can be used to evaluate likely trajectories for restoration. Testing and incorporating new monitoring techniques such as DNA metabarcoding is critical to improving restoration outcomes, and is now particularly salient given the ambitious global restoration targets associated with the UN decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Evaluasi Rigless Plug & Abandonment: Sebuah Studi Kasus

Oil was explored and found by Royal Dutch (Shell Group) geologist in early 1900. And since Indonesia’s independence, development in oil and gas projects was able to put Indonesia as one of major oil exporter country with daily production above 1 Million barrel per day in 1970 – 1990. With time as fields become mature, some of the fields have come to the end of its life cycle, where mostly 70% of Indonesia total old oil wells will have no economic value and has to be permanently Plug and Abandonment (P&A) as ruled by the government. It’s part of decommissioning an entire field with environmental preservation which called Abandonment and Site Restoration (ASR). As P&A will impact operating company investment as outlined in Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) No. 15, 2008, efficient P&A operation should be evaluated to ensure proper planning and executions. The subject of evaluation is X well located onshore at Y Field, Java, Indonesia. P&A operation with multiple cements plugs as barriers to ensure no fluids migrations from one formation to others, or to surface. Evaluation between workover rig and rigless P&A operation with coiled tubing unit (CTU) and electric line (E-line) will be presented in this paper to value the expenditures and achieving the result as standardize by the government with accordance of operating company standard. Results show that rigless operation is the preferable solution, which lead to cost effective operation. Rigless operation saves 25% of P&A operations even tough with longer operation days.