Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is pleased to announce that in 2022, the Global Oiled Wildlife Response Service (GOWRS) will become part of OSRL's Service Level Agreement (SLA).
GOWRS is a ready‐to‐deploy Assessment Team of four wildlife response experts, drawn from 10 leading international wildlife response organisations, which will be available 24/7/365 to deploy for a four‐day in‐country incident assessment.
The team will be hand‐picked from a pool of international experts depending on the needs of the specific incident. The GOWRS Assessment Team will evaluate and provide on‐the‐ground recommendations to the client. These recommendations will cover the need, feasibility, and elements for a wildlife response that meets industry Good Practice standards.
The annual funding for GOWRS will enable a year‐round work programme for the ten partner organisations (listed below), all leading wildlife response organisations in their home countries, to develop and maintain a pool of qualified, response‐ready Tier 3 Assessment Team personnel.
Robert Limb, Chief Executive at OSRL, comments: “Integrating GOWRS into our SLA is a significant milestone in the history of wildlife response preparedness. It represents the first time a Tier 3 response system will integrate operational wildlife responders. GOWRS will help sustain wildlife response know‐how for the future and create a more resilient network of wildlife response organisations.
He continues: “The GOWRS Partners will also continue to develop and maintain international standards. An essential part of this work will be supporting our members with their ongoing preparedness journey, especially efforts to improve Tier 1 and 2 wildlife response preparedness in parts of the world with limited capability.”
The addition of GOWRS enables all OSRL members to access an enhanced offering of SLA wildlife response services. GOWRS joins the SLA as a new service that complements the existing SLA services of access to expert oiled wildlife advice from the Sea Alarm Foundation and Tier 3 Wildlife Response Equipment by providing an expert in-field assessment of any incident.
The GOWRS recommendations would help guide the implementation of a full-scale operational response, if needed and feasible. In this way, GOWRS helps ensure that OSRL members can access the best professionals in the world and establish a wildlife response correctly from day one.
Contracting for GOWRS is in progress and expected to be complete by the second half of 2022.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL)
Oil Spill Response Limited (OSRL) is the largest international industry‐funded cooperative. It exists to respond to oil spills wherever in the world they may occur, providing preparedness, response, and intervention services. OSRL is wholly owned by most of the environmentally responsible oil and gas companies around the globe, and its membership represents the majority of the world’s oil production. It currently employs 275 people across twelve locations around the world.
Global Oiled Wildlife Response Service (GOWRS)
The Global Oiled Wildlife Response Service (GOWRS) is a collaboration of ten of the world’s leading professional oiled wildlife response organisations representing a variety of models and missions unanimously committed to the best possible outcomes for wildlife. It currently consists of Aiuká (Brazil), Focus Wildlife International (U.S.A.), International Bird Rescue (U.S.A.), Oiled Wildlife Care Network/UC Davis (OWCN) (U.S.A.), PRO BIRD (Germany), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) (U.K.), SANCCOB (South Africa), Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research (U.S.A.), WILDBASE/Massey University (New Zealand), and Wildlife Centre Ostend (Belgium)
Media contacts Information:
Emma Smillie:
OSRL Global Marketing and Communications Manager
+44 (0)23 8033 1551
emmasmillie@oilspillresponse.com