Supporting Community Environmental Monitoring in Ecuador

GTE maintains transparency about its environmental practices by ensuring stakeholders are well-equipped to understand, analyze, and respond to the information they receive, some of which can include highly technical data.

Informational Sessions in Ecuador to Strengthen Environmental Oversight

In 2024, Gran Tierra Energy strengthened its commitment to environmental responsibility by partnering with independent external subject matter experts to host a series of informational sessions on air dispersion modelling. This scientific tool is used to better predict and understand potential environmental impacts from industrial activity—an essential part of GTE’s approach to responsible operations.

Two sessions were held in Lago Agrio and one in Quito, creating a space for open dialogue and knowledge-sharing. A total of 32 GTE staff members and 14 technicians from Ecuador’s Ministry of the Environment (MAATE) participated. These sessions not only strengthened the technical understanding of air dispersion modelling but also established a trusted partnership between GTE and MAATE in promoting sustainable practices across the region. By proactively engaging with regulatory authorities and ensuring transparency in its operations, GTE continues to build trust with key stakeholders and reinforce its role as a responsible energy partner.

GTE has also previously offered an Environmental Monitoring Training workshops to help people living in the community of Unión Balsareña, who live near the Company’s operations in the Chanangue block in Sucumbíos, Ecuador, more effectively observe and provide feedback about GTE’s environmental monitoring procedures. The workshop covered regulations, studies, surveys and management, and ecological monitoring methodology and practices.

Seventeen community members participated in the workshop, and the Company provides ongoing support to ensure community leaders and program participants can continue to engage environmental experts to support their oversight role.

“We look for opportunities to make the greatest social, environmental and Human Rights impact possible, rather than just checking a box.”
Transforming Residual Wastewater into Biogas
Within the Acordionero Forestry Centre, Gran Tierra Energy installed residential-scale anaerobic biodigesters. Biodigesters are systems that break down organic materials, such as food waste, agricultural residues, animal manure and wastewater, through a biological process called anaerobic digestion. In many rural Colombian villages, untreated wastewater flows through open sewers, creating serious health and environmental risks—especially during […]
Bringing Safe Drinking Water to Rural Colombia
In remote villages of Putumayo, Colombia, where government support is limited, access to clean water remains a persistent challenge, exposing families to waterborne diseases and other health risks. To help close this gap, GTE partnered with the international NGO Ayuda en Acción to launch the Water for Communities initiative in October 2024. The project will […]
GTE Supports Prestigious Camina Award 2024, Honouring Champions for Peace
In December 2024, GTE joined the Embassies of Belgium and Canada and the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines to present the eighth CaMINA Award. This award honours community organizations working to support landmine victims and promote peace in Colombia. This year’s winners were the Association of Veteran Survivors of the Armed Conflict of Cauca, “Path of […]
Preventing Fugitive Emissions Across our Operations
Gran Tierra Energy continues to advance its emissions reduction strategy across all areas of its operations in Canada, Colombia and Ecuador. As part of its commitment to operational integrity and environmental responsibility, GTE conducted a fugitive emissions survey in Colombia in 2024, identifying and repairing several small leaks. In Ecuador, the Company is developing a […]
The Acordionero Forestry Centre
Gran Tierra Energy has officially opened the Acordionero Forestry Centre (AFC), a 185-hectare environmental innovation hub located in El Cairo village, a strategically important conservation zone in Cesar. It is Gran Tierra’s hope that AFC will play a key role in restoring forest corridors and preserving water bodies thar provide water to the surrounding communities. […]
The Costayaco Forestry Centre
The Costayaco Forestry Centre (CFC) is one of the most innovative reforestation efforts in South America that has grown to 335 hectares, located near the Company’s production facilities in Putumayo. Established in 2010 in coordination with regional environmental regulator Corpoamazonia, the facility has grown into a significant habitat for butterflies, birds, large felines and other […]
Gran Tierra Energy’s Conservation Footprint
Gran Tierra Energy’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP) states that GTE will minimize the footprint of project activities throughout the operations and that full remediation and reclamation will follow the cessation of operations. The plan also mandates that the Company respect land use by local communities and that the Company’s daily work activities shall minimize impacts […]
Innovative Conservation Agreements Protect Sensitive Areas
A highlight of GTE’s work was with the Putumayo Biodiversity and Development Initiative was the restoration within the Orito Ingi-Ande Flora Sanctuary for Medicinal Plants. Dialogue with 15 families who were living in the protected zone and cultivating coca, resulted in important conservation agreements to protect the land. As part of the agreements, Gran Tierra […]
NaturAmazonas: Gran Tierra’s Largest Environmental Initiative
NaturAmazonas, the flagship conservation program started by GTE and Conservation International, has grown into an alliance of public and private institutions working together to address the root causes of deforestation. It works to develop solutions for reversing the process, while increasing the well-being of nearby communities. GTE’s program has grown into a joint effort between […]
GTE's Environmental Management Plan
Gran Tierra Energy’s company-wide Environmental Management Plan (EMP) addresses how it handles environmental issues arising from its exploration and development projects and other operations. The Plan is based on the environmental performance standards of the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation and reflects best industry practices. It will be amended and updated periodically. In any instances […]
Waste Management
Gran Tierra’s Waste Management Plan (WMP) recognizes the Company’s responsibility to manage wastes properly. Waste is handled independently, according to the type (contaminated, organic, unusable or recyclable), through a process of separation at source. One of the goals of internal management is always to reduce at the source the different waste generated by the operation […]
Emissions Reduction: Reporting
Gran Tierra Energy’s environmental policy calls for the Company to track its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and take steps to reduce them wherever economically feasible. Gran Tierra continues to voluntarily retain a respected expert in the field of air quality to create an assessment of its greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, Colombia and Ecuador. This […]
Emissions Reduction: Nature-Based Solutions
Nature-based solutions are an important pillar of Gran Tierra’s emissions reductions efforts, and the company supports environmental projects that aid in natural carbon sequestration. Natural carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric CO2, as forests, wetlands and vegetation sequester carbon by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into organic […]
Emissions Reduction: Gas-to-Power
Gran Tierra’s ongoing effort to reduce direct emissions by converting associated gas produced from its wells into an energy source for its operations, continues to generate results. Additionally, converting gas to electricity significantly reduces the demand on municipal utilities, increases fiscal resilience by lowering unit production costs, and provides a more stable energy supply, while […]
Amazon Butterfly Species Guidebook
Butterflies are an important indicator for maintaining healthy ecosystems and are a critically important part of conservation and management practices in the area. An alliance of public and private institutions led by GTE and the industry group National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI), completed a study on the diversity of butterflies to better understand the […]
The Putumayo Biodiversity Initiative Enters a Second Phase
The Putumayo Biodiversity Initiative, a wide-ranging alliance of public and private institutions dedicated to preserving biodiversity in the Andean-Amazonian foothills in the department of Putumayo, entered its second phase in 2021. The initiative protects, conserves, and restores ecosystem connectivity and biodiversity through sustainable development. The initiative has become an important national benchmark for public-private investment […]
A Partnership with the Humboldt Institute
The partnership between Gran Tierra Energy and the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute contributes to the understanding of biodiversity in the Putumayo and addressing concerns about industrial development in the area. Colombia has highly biodiverse areas, with large numbers of plant species, microorganisms, and fungi. However, some of the country’s ecosystems have deteriorated […]
An Alliance with ANDI
GTE plays a role in strengthening industry-wide sustainability efforts through participation in the National Business Association of Colombia’s (ANDI) biodiversity and sustainability initiatives, participating in multilateral partnerships that promote conservation and the advancement of scientific knowledge in the country. ANDI, Gran Tierra Energy, Corpoamazonia, the National Natural Parks of Colombia, Amazonian Institute of Scientific Research […]
Conserving Wild Cats
Gran Tierra’s pioneering initiative to promote wild cat conservation in the Colombian Amazon, has identified six feline species that use its Costayaco Forestry Centre as a habitat. The project, implemented by Corpoamazonia in partnership with Gran Tierra Energy, has achieved a number of accomplishments in the Alto Putumayo, Amazonian Andean Foothills, and the Amazon Plain […]
Inviting Communities to Participate in Water Monitoring
In accordance with Company policy and regulations, Gran Tierra regularly monitors and analyzes surface and groundwater using an external lab certified by government authorities; however, a myth that the Company often encounters in local communities is that lab results released by a corporation must be compromised. To counter this, GTE will fund additional independent water […]
Stewardship of Natural Water Resources
Along with voluntary investments that conserve and protect the integrity of water sources near its operations, Gran Tierra continues to reduce freshwater consumption across the lifecycle of its operations. A comprehensive roadmap has been instituted to reduce the use of surface water where possible, with the goal of achieving zero surface water usage in the […]
ISO 14001 Certification
Gran Tierra Energy is ISO 14001 certified for its Environmental Management Systems. This certification is an international standard that specifies requirements for effective environmental management systems and has been granted to all of the Company’s operations and activities in Colombia. The scope determined by Gran Tierra Energy for the Environmental Management System under the ISO […]
Strengthening Human Rights Throughout the Supply Chain
Gran Tierra Energy is committed to operating at the highest level of responsible business conduct, through the adherence and application of the highest Human Rights and Business international standards, as well as in strict compliance with the legislation of the countries where the company operates. The Company creates and ensures a non-discriminatory and respectful work […]