BP has been working with state and federal agencies to assess and restore natural resources injured as a result of the Deepwater Horizon accident

Within days of the Deepwater Horizon accident, BP began working with state and federal trustees through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process to collect data to evaluate the potential for injury to wildlife and habitat, and the recreational use of these resources. As cooperative field work data becomes available, it can be used by the trustees and BP to guide the selection of early restoration projects and longer-term restoration of the Gulf Coast. The goal is to return the environment to its baseline condition ­ – the condition it would be in if the Deepwater Horizon accident had not occurred.

While the injury assessment process is still ongoing, restoration has already begun. BP has funded several different types of restoration projects:

• Natural Resource Damage Assessment studies
  Scientists from BP, government agencies, academia and other organizations are studying a range of species and habitats to understand how wildlife populations and the environment may have been affected by the accident.
  
• Emergency restoration projects – preventing or reducing additional damage to natural resources.
• Early restoration projects – restoring injured natural resources.
  
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation projects – conservation projects funded by the sale of oil recovered from the spill during 2010.