IBP1817 _12 BIOMAPAS PETROBRAS COMBINING ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION WITH SCIENTIFIC DISSEMINATION AMONG THE GREATER GENERAL PUBLIC

Walter Romano1, Priscila Noscia 2

Copyright 2012, Instituto Brasileiro de Petrleo, Gs e Biocombustveis - IBP Este Trabalho Tcnico foi preparado para apresentao na Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012, realizado no perodo de 17 a 20 de setembro de 2012, no Rio de Janeiro. Este Trabalho Tcnico foi selecionado para apresentao pelo Comit Tcnico do evento, seguindo as informaes contidas no trabalho completo submetido pelo(s) autor(es). Os organizadores no iro traduzir ou corrigir os textos recebidos. O material conforme, apresentado, no necessariamente reflete as opinies do Instituto Brasileiro de Petrleo, Gs e Biocombustveis, Scios e Representantes. de conhecimento e aprovao do(s) autor(es) que este Trabalho Tcnico seja publicado nos Anais da Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012.

Abstract
The lengthy process of exploring for oil and then producing it, which over its course requires an extensive use of cutting-edge and highly sophisticated technology, generates a considerable amount of knowledge, both in terms of the petroleum business itself, resulting from its exploration activities as a whole, as well as in terms of all its associated activities, especially those that involve due respect for the environment. One of the main challenges faced by players in this industry is how to share this newly-acquired store of scientific knowledge with other interested parties. What language to use? What kind of media might be most effective? How to awaken the interest of different audiences, who may no longer be restricted to very defined geographic locations? This problem of technical/scientific dissemination has led Petrobras to develop an innovative and relatively accessible communication tool, based on existing tools that today attract and connect groups of people with a wide variety of different characteristics: an online environment that shows the mapping of the fauna and flora in environments where Petrobras operates. The company`s view has been that it is perfectly possible to operate in equilibrium with the environment and at the same time stimulate knowledge creation. The combination of digital communication methods and a database on species of flora and fauna is the solution Petrobras has found to provide the great general public with access to the results of research into more than 100 species native to the Amazon, carried out on the outskirts of the Oil Province of Urucu, the company`s production center located 650 kilometers southwest of Manaus, and which has also resulted in the publication of a book, and been transformed into a source for consulting on the Internet.

1. Introduction
One of the great challenges that we face in the 21st century is the need to take scientific knowledge to the people, this in the view of Spanish journalist Calvo Hernando, who, since 1965, has dedicated his life to the practice and dissemination of science. Hernando believes that is of vital importance to show the risks, the benefits and to promote dialogue between scientists and the rest of society. This need derives from the very status that is attributed to science within the world of today. The lengthy process of exploring for oil and then producing it, which over its course requires an extensive use of cutting-edge and highly sophisticated technology, generates a considerable amount of knowledge, both in terms of the petroleum business itself, resulting from its exploration activities as a whole, as well as in terms of all its associated activities, especially those that involve due respect for the environment. One of the main challenges faced by players in this industry is how to share this newly-acquired store of scientific knowledge with other interested parties. What language to use? What kind of media might be most effective? How to awaken the interest of different audiences, who may no longer be restricted to very defined geographic locations? This problem of technical/scientific dissemination has led Petrobras to develop an innovative and relatively accessible communication tool, based on existing tools that today attract and connect groups of people with a wide variety of different characteristics: an online environment that shows the mapping of the fauna and flora in environments where Petrobras operates. The company`s view has been that it is perfectly possible to operate in equilibrium with the environment and at the same time stimulate knowledge creation in an innovative way.

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1 2

Master, Advertisement Professional, Communications Officer at Petrobras Master, Public Relations, Communications Officer at Petrobras

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2. The challange of Urucu

The exploration for and production of oil and natural gas in the Oil Province of Urucu, discovered in 1986 in Coari, some 650 kilometers southwest of Manaus and in the heart of the Amazon, is one of the best examples of how it is possible to achieve a balance between economic development and environmental conservation. Present in the region since its creation, in 1953, Petrobras has developed a sophisticated production model, conceived by technicians and scientists from different areas, whose prime concern was to guarantee harmony between economic activity and the environment. This unique model, idealized by the company in the heart of the world`s largest forest is, today, a point of reference for the rest of the world. Reconciling the development of light crude and natural gas production at Urucu with the Amazonian biodiversity is, undoubtedly, the most important challenge Petrobras faces in the region. One major initiative taken was to rearrange the layout of the company`s installations, so as to reduce the area taken up by the unit. The land no longer used by the unit was then replanted with trees, and thus the maximum natural environment possible was given back to the forest. There is even an on-site nursery with more than 170,000 seedlings of 90 native species. Petrobras` Environmental Policy is founded on three pillars: a) Investment in sponsorship of environmental projects, through public selection processes, in order to support, in a transparent way, initiatives that contribute to the nation`s sustainable development; b) Interaction between the Third Sector (non-profit organizations etc.), the Public Sector and other companies through the creation of partnerships and networks. The main areas covered are water, climate and marine biodiversity. This initiative also includes contributions to the training of partner institutions; c) Dissemination of information for sustainable development, using communication initiatives aimed at debating the model and the role played by each agent involved. Using these three pillars as parameters, Petrobras, by means of its own Research Center as well of partner research institutions, carries out a detailed mapping of the flora and fauna in areas surrounding its operations. In the area around Urucu, such local ecosystem survey expeditions have resulted in the cataloguing of more than 100 Amazonian species. The content of these surveys, with texts, photos and information on the geolocation of the species mapped have resulted in the publication of a book entitled Biodiversidade na Provncia Petrolfera de Urucu (Biodiversity in the Urucu Oil Province) whose target audience is national and international scientists. Based on the information contained in the book, and with the opportunity of using the Google Maps service open to it, Petrobras decided, in 2008, to expand the scope of its readership and offer the book`s information online, via the Petrobras Biomapas project (www.petrobras.com.br/biomapas) (Fig. 1). The company was thus able to further disseminate the information it had gathered about certain Amazonian species by making it accessible to the general public as well, and not only to researchers and scientists with access to the book.

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Figure 1 Biomapas Site - Home Its georeferenced visualization and research apps, using Google Maps (and Google Earth), are the website`s main features, and are available in three languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish, thereby enabling far-reaching content, such as Brazilian fauna and flora, to be equally accessible to those outside Brazil. The first version of the site went on air in April of 2010, and contained one environment only, that of Urucu, with information on certain species of the Amazonian Rainforest, which appear on the screen at the geographic locations where they were observed, and descriptive texts and photos provided. The site was designed in such a way as to allow for the inclusion of new modules (environments), as and when new mapping surveys are carried out and consolidated. Thus, the Biomapas site has the capacity to encompass a broad variety of environmental surveys of Brazil`s fauna and flora, and may ultimately offer a multiplatform panel showing the biodiversity that exists throughout Brazil. The introduction text on the website explains the importance of the project: Being in several ecosystems, getting to know the wealth of their fauna and flora is a unique opportunity Petrobras wants to share with you. The experience of diving into these environments, learning about the animals and plants in harmony with people around them, shows that our commitment to biodiversity also comes from the admiration and respect we have for these places. Is it actually possible to explore and produce oil with respect for the environment? We have proved it is. In addition to supporting environmental projects, we give examples of sustainable actions in our activities. We work to minimize our impacts, make partnerships, get to know and map information that was often not known. Sharing this mapping with you is a way of strengthening our passion to confirm our commitment to preserving the environment. After choosing the desired environment (between two options), a map will appear with some icons around. By clicking on the icons on the map, one can see the technical specifications of each species, with its scientific name, physical characteristics, feeding habits, habitat etc. (Fig.2).

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Figure 2: Characteristics of a species in the Urucu environment

3. A more entertaining approach

The site also offers videos and photos of expeditions carried out in recent years by biologists, forestry engineers and local collectors among other environmental specialists. All these pictures can also be accessed through Petrobras` channel on Flickr, for those who use this social network in order to find photos related to The Amazon, The Amazon Rainforest or even the name of a particular species, and to also be able to get to the site. (Fig.3).

Figure 3 Biomapas on Flickr 4

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012 A team from the Petrobras Communication department joined an expedition to map the species around Urucu and produced various films about the work of these researchers in the midst of the Amazon Rainforest. All this material has been georeferenced and can be accessed either on the project`s own website or using Petrobras` channels on Flickr and YouTube. (www.youtube.com/canalpetrobras). (Fig. 4)

Figure 4 Petrobras Biomapas on YouTube In addition, so as to make the learning about species easier and more entertaining and at the same time attract a younger audience, an app was created on Facebook (Fig.5). This allows users to collect stickers of Amazonian species and to learn more about them and about biodiversity, by answering questions on each species. The app allows for the exchange of stickers between users, for offering them as gifts to friends and for searching for specific stickers in the site. For access to the app the user must go to the following link: apps.facebook.com/biomapas.

Figure 5 Biomapas App on Facebook 5

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012 In December of 2010, a second mapping survey was added to the Biomapas Project, this time on marine species, such as whales, dolphins, Botos (species of dolphin found in the Amazon River and off the Brazilian coast) and turtles. Photos, scientific information and geolocation data of species that inhabit the Brazilian coastline were included in the Biomapas website under the environment heading of Costa Marinha (Marine Coast). Visitors to the site can now choose which environment they wish to navigate.

4. Communication strategy
Because it is in essence an initiative of scientific dissemination, which aims at expanding the reach and scope of the results obtained by the production of specialists, the development of the Biomapas Project based itself strongly on a communication strategy aimed at maximizing the corporate image in terms of the company`s efforts on the environmental front. Thus, its goal is to strengthen Petrobras` image as a company that is environmentally responsible and friendly, by making the results of the surveys already carried out by the Company fully available and accessible to the general public in an interesting and educative manner. These communication initiatives are primarily aimed at students and those not versed in the subject or lay people, but also include, among their target audience, researchers and those interested in the Amazon fauna and flora in general. The publicity campaign for the Biomapas Project used as its main concept the attributes of Petrobras as a Responsible Company and one that is Committed to sustainable development, since the products of the project clearly show the research carried out by the company in order to better understand and protect the species that live in areas encircling its operations. The Biomapas Project is proof that it is possible to explore for and produce oil while at the same time respecting the environment, working to minimize the impact of your operations, forming partnerships and mapping information that in many cases has never been mapped before. . In order to ensure that the Project received ample coverage and initial interest, the campaign was launched by the Press Office and through posts on Petrobras` official channels in the social networks. With the launch of the second environment, the Marine Coast, an editorial publication was prepared and included in the Superinteressante magazine in order to show some of the new species included in the Biomapas. Since March of 2011, a campaign of sponsored links on Google has been in place to promote the Project, and increase the number of visitors to the site`s virtual environments.

5. Assessment - Results
Between April and December of 2010, the Biomaaps site received almost 30,000 visitors. The app on Facebook had 2,677 visits, with an average navigating time of more than six minutes. Between April 19 th 2010 and June 4th 2010 we had 64 posts on Blogs and 304 tweets on the subject of the launch of the Biomapas project. The Project was the subject of reports in the O Globo newspaper and in various online media vehicles, such as Estado.com.br, InfoOnline, Portal Exame, Planeta Sustentvel and Blog ANVerde. Up to May 6th, 2012, the 12 Biomapas videos available on Petrobras` YouTube channel had received a total of 73,630 visitors. The Petrobras Biomapas Project received the Gold Award from ABERJE (Associao Brasileira de Comunicao Empresarial Brazilian Corporate Communications Association) as the Best digital media project in Brazil in 2011, and the Bronze Award at the Wave Festival of Latin American Advertising.

6. Conclusion
Historically, one has attributed to scientific dissemination the role of overcoming the shortfall in information that the layman has in relation to science, in other words, suggesting therefore that the layman is scientifically illiterate. The North Americans refer to this activity as scientific literacy, that is, educating the layman in scientific matters. (VOGT, 2008). This view, that there was a deficit of information among the population in relation to science, for a long time guided the activities of scientific dissemination. Linguist, Carlos Vogt, editor of scientific jornalism e-magazine, 6

Rio Oil & Gas Expo and Conference 2012 ComCincia, believes that if this is true then it should be up to scientific dissemination to supply or overcome this deficit of information among the lay population in relation to science. It was considered a fact that the lay population was ignorant from a scientific point of view and that it was therefore necessary to provide them with such knowledge (VOGT, 2008). This theory of deficit has gradually been replaced by a more democratic view of the role of scientific dissemination, especially based on the experiences of countries such as England and France. According to this new view, the role of scientific dissemination is not solely one of providing information, but also one of instilling in these people a critical outlook in relation to science. Dissemination should have as its goal not only the acquisition of knowledge and information, but also the creation of reflection in relation to the role of science, its function within society, its implications and its priorities. In England, they first developed what is called the public understanding of science, which is different to scientific literacy, from the American point of view, and then soon after, developed a second concept that is linked to the first, but is slightly different, which is the public awareness of science. In these cases, what is being stressed is not merely the acquisition of information, the possibility of having access to information, but also the education or training of the citizen to allow him to form his own opinions and critical views of the whole process involved in the production of scientific knowledge with its circulation and so on and so forth. This is a concept that is related to the scientific culture that modifies the ways of carrying out and thinking about the dissemination itself. (VOGT, 2008).

To appreciate the value of scientific knowledge is to recognize it as a resource for stimulating innovation and social development, always bearing in mind that such knowledge is rarely neutral, since it is influenced not only by society but also by the scientific community from whence it comes. Scientific dissemination is part of this process of scientific construction, both between these two, as well as for the lay public.(LEITE, 2001 p. 1) In this sense, by making use of a tool that allows interaction in order to offer up knowledge accumulated by the Company about more than 100 species of Amazonian fauna and flora, while at the same time doing away with the the merely educational format of formal science dissemination to which the majority of the Brazilian population is submitted and accustomed, Petrobras not only innovates but also takes a representative step towards making knowledge an asset that belongs to all Brazilians. The Internet increases the potential for communication, encompassing easy access to information, operationality for handling it and new alternatives of assessment, which, undoubtedly increases the possibilities for the creation of science and a constant contact between scientists. (LEITE, 2001 p. 16). Combining digital media with a database on Brazilian species of fauna and flora was the solution Petrobras found in order to offer the general public access to the results of research into more than 100 species native to the Amazon region, as well as along the Brazilian marine coast. The success of the initiative can be measured by the numbers of visitors to the different available Biomapas channels the Project`s Website, the App on Facebook and the channel on YouTube. Virtual environments, real visits, and a new way of making knowledge freely available and of disseminating science. The results of acccesses to the Biomapas site and to the other environments available on the Internet show the success of choosing this kind of media for disseminating the content of the database, as well as the extended reach of this information, which can now be accessed from anywhere around the globe, without geographic or time restrictions. All this is positive for the complex panorama of scientific dissemination and communicating sustainability.

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