Seminars and workshops run by Ministries of Envi-ronment and like-minded civil society organizations,donors, and others aren’t doing the trick. More oftenthan not, when somebody in the Ministry of Finance orPlanning Ministry hears the word ‘environment’ theyswitch off, thinking that concern for environmentalmanagement is a luxury for rich countries, countriesthat got rich by converting their own environmentalresources - forests, fish, minerals, wetlands, water,etc., into wealth. “Now that they’re rich, they canafford the time to preach. We’ll worry about the en-vironment after we’ve dealt with health, education,infrastructure and our economy …”

Those of us in the business of safeguarding the en-vironment often bemoan the fact that environmen-tal concerns are usually low in the agenda when itcomes to promoting economic and social develop-ment. Recognizing that national economies and locallivelihoods in Africa are based on the exploitation ofnature, the gap between the importance of the envi-ronment for economic growth and development andthe weak support from governments and civil societyfor sustainable nature management is paradoxical.

So we must ask ourselves the question “How can wemainstream environment into national developmentstrategies?” Maybe the question is wrong. The envi-ronment is the foundation of development, the prob-lem is that decision-makers and the general publicdon’t recognize this. So the question may be “Howdo we get people to recognize this?”

The weak link in the chain of logic that claims “Envi-ronmental management is a luxury of the developednations who became rich by converting their environ-mental resources” is that there are a lot of tools andtechniques available today that didn’t exist during the18th and 19th centuries, when those rich countries gotrich. Emerging economies of today have options thatwere not available to their predecessors. One of themost promising is the Strategic Environmental As-sessment or SEA in acronym.

SEA is a proven tool for maximizing developmentbenefits through improved coordination and gover-

nance. Whether focused at the level of a sector (min-ing, tourism, fisheries, etc.) or a geographic area(country, coastal zone, community, etc.) the SEA pro-cess is designed to look at high level goals and en-sure that the growth of one element of developmentdoesn’t come at the expense of another. For example,the expansion of the mining sector must be compat-ible with health concerns, or an expansion of the oiland gas sector should not handicap the tourism sec-tor. SEA helps identify synergies and alternatives,and thus establishes dialogue to ensure flexibility andparticipation.

WWF in Africa has been promoting SEA for severalyears - especially with respect to the oil and gas sector- which is growing at a phenomenal rate. The Organi-sation for Economic Co-operation and Development

.ecruoseryranidroartxenaebotgnivorpsi)DCEO(Their ‘Guidelines on Applying Strategic Environ-mental Assessment’ is comprehensive, easy to readand very well organized. The Strategic Environmen-tal Assessment Task Team (http://www.seataskteam.net/) has a wealth of information and guidance. TheOECD has also produced an SEA handbook which isavailable on-line at http://www.seataskteam.net/guid-ance.php.

The US National Center for Environmental Assess-ment (NCEA) has also graciously offered their tech-nical support to facilitate training workshops and toprovide follow-up support for the implementation ofSEAs. SEAs need to be appreciated as tools to achievesustainable development objectives: the central roleof the environmental is clear and the importance ofsound environment management should emerge asa fundamental building block for a sustainable andproductive future - and not post-affluence luxury. TheEnvironment must be mainstreamed in our development agenda.

MAINSTREAMING THE ENVIRONMENT INTODEVELOPMENT POLICY:

Author: Paul Siegel, WWF Senegal Country Office.

10

tures and is likely to draw massivenumbers of immigrants. These de-velopments may increase pressureon land and natural resources, aswell as provoke conflict with otherland uses and activities.

Land and vegetation degrada-tion:

Oil sands mining requires approxi-mately two tonnes of bitumen-richmaterial for every barrel of oil pro-duced(4), and requires the removalof the top soil and its vegetationto expose the bitumen underneath.The vegetation cover in Bemolan-ga is mainly secondary savannah,but there may be significant wet-lands in the area, which could beaffected by toxic wastewater andtailings. In Canada, there is stilldebate about whether the reclama-tion of disturbed land following oilsands mining can feasibly restoreland into biologically productiveecosystems(5).

Water management, tailings andpollution:

Tar sands extraction requires mas-sive quantities of water(3), whichcould create hydrological stress inareas where water resources are

limited. Experiences in Canadahave shown that most of wastewater and tailings have to be dis-charged into large storage pondsfor an almost indefinite period.In these ponds, residual bitumenfloats to the surface, while fineclay and silt particles take sev-eral years to settle, producing atoxic yogurt-like goo(6) that maycontaminate water systems somedistance away. Currently, there ap-pears to be no technical solution totreat these wastes (3&5).

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emis-sions and climate change:

Production from oil sands current-ly releases about three times moreGHG emissions than pumping con-ventional oil from the ground(4).Based upon these estimates forMadagascar, the Bemolanga proj-ect would produce between 5 and8 million tonnes of carbon dioxideper year. This figure could be evenhigher if fuels with high GHGemissions are used to provide theenergy for oil extraction from theoil sands. Carbon offsets and se-questration could mitigate theseimpacts to some extent, but theseare significant emissions.

Human health Contaminationfrom the oil sands industry maylead to serious health risks throughthe ingestion of contaminatedwater, fish or agricultural prod-ucts. Heavy metals are known tohave various acute and chronictoxic effects. Some hydrocarboncompounds are also known to becarcinogenic. For instance, therehave been recent reports of highrates of cancer occurring in FortChipewyan, a town located nearthe Athabasca oil sands deposits inCanada(7).

ConclusionDeveloping its oil sands is clearlygoing to be attractive or a polemicfor a poor nation such as Madagas-car. We recommend that a multi-stakeholder Strategic Environmen-tal Assessment (including cultural,social and economic analyses) isconducted as early as possible andfollowed by land-use and socialplanning. In addition, we encour-age readers to consult WWF’s rec-ommendations to governments, in-dustry and investors regarding oilsands (8). The potential contribu-tion of Bemolanga to global warm-ing should also be included in theevaluation.

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In December 2009, UWA and WWF were invited toMadagascar by WWF – Madagascar to share their experience on the collaborative arrangements they arecurrently having in the oil and gas activities in theAlbertine Rift. This was a follow up of the October2009 OfD planning workshop held in Mangily SouthWest Madagascar in which UWA & WWF had parti cipated.Like Uganda, oil exploration activities began re-cently in Madagascar and oil reserves overlap with some sensitive ecosystems including the coastal regions where there are important mangrove forests and coral reefs. Therefore the two countries share the challenges of ensuring that the oil activities are done with minimal impacts on environment so that con-servation and oil activities can co-exist. At the same time the two countries have something to learn from each other.

The meetings were structured into two categories with a one day meeting for the government agencies, oil companies, conservation NGOs and community based organizations and two days meeting with community associations operating in the areaswhere oil exploration is currently taking place. UWA together with WWF Uganda presented their

in working together in the Albertine Rift on conser-vation issues within oil and gas projects. Some of the areas the two institutions are working together include; capacity building of the UWA staff and equipping them with skills in impact identification and compliance monitoring in oil and gas develop-ment. So far about 120 UWA staff in 7 protected areas have benefited from this training. More train-ings and exposure visits of staff to areas within the country where oil activities are taking place are proposed to take place in 2010.

It was observed that partnerships within civil society organizations and between private sector, civil soci-ety organizations as well as government in Madagas-car is slowly developing and requires further effortsto make it work better. The companies pledged their commitment to work together with the civil soci-ety institutions to ensure that their activities have minimal impacts on environment. The Madagascar government pledge an open door policy to civil society concerns and partnership interventions.

Throughout the various meetings and fora, it was realized that partnerships are necessary in order to achieve common goals through differentiated objec-tives.

Showcasing Uganda WildlifeAuthority(UWA) -WWF UgandaPartnership in Madagascar

Author:Author:Justine Namara, Senior Planning and Environment Impact Assessment Officer,Uganda Wildlife Authority;

October 2009; UWA with WWF OfD team in Mangili MadagascarAfter participating in drawing the OfD work plan 2010-2012.

11

UWA’s mission is to conserve, economically develop and sustainably manage the wildlife and protected areas of Uganda in partnership with neighboring communities and other stakeholders for the benefit of the people of

Uganda and the global community.

C WWF-UgandaC WWF-Norway

experience

What are oil sands? Oil sands are also known as tar sands or extra heavyoil. These are a form of bitumen deposit in which theoil is trapped in a complex mix of sand, water andclay.

Why exploit oil sand reserves?The increased price of oil in recent years is linked inpart to the needs of emerging industrial nations suchas China and India. A near-term peak in demand ispredicted as it takes time to install new wells; a long-term peak and thereafter a likely decline is projectedwithin the coming decades. Some consumer coun-tries want to reduce dependence on oil supplies frompolitically unstable countries and prefer to developnew wells in their own countries or in friendly na-tions. Some of these alternative supplies are from oilsands. New technologies have appeared which allowoil sands to be more competitive at today’s higherprices for conventional oil.

Oil sands exploitationOil sands close to the surface can be mined in openpits. Deeper deposits are heated by steam or hot airinjection to melt them into a fluid that can be pumpedto the surface and to partially break them down. Therecovered oil must be mixed with lighter oils, gases or

.liocitehtnysgnicudorp,gniniferlaniferofebstnevlosProducing synthetic oil is considerably more expen-sive than production of conventional oils at average

prices. Estimates place the break-even at more thanUSD $80 per barrel of oil from tar sands.

Are the benefits from oil sands worth the environmental and social risks?

Capital investment, revenues and development:

One such potential oil sands project is at Bemolangain Madagascar. Should this go into operation, colossalinvestments would be made into the country (1), withthe potential for important revenues for Madagascarduring the forthcoming decades (2). This investmentcould boost the economy, relieve poverty and providemuch needed hard currency. Social and corporate re-sponsibility programmes could also provide positivechanges for local and regional development. How-ever, lessons from other oil-rich countries show thatgood governance is essential if benefits are truly go-ing to reach the nation’s people. Fluctuations in oilprices, raw materials, transport and energy may affectthe financial viability of oil sand projects (3).

Spatial development planning

The Bemolanga oil sands area is lightly populated,but oil development could potentially inhibit accessto residents of large areas of pasture and small-scaleagricultural zones. In addition, oil production will re-quire roads, port facilities and other major infrastruc-

Agnès JoignerezTimothy M. Healy Martin Nicoll

Authors:Agnès Joignerez. Water and Environ-ment Specialist, AQUATERRE, B.P.1541, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar.

Timothy M. Healy, Natural Resources Management and Economics Specialist, AQUATERRE, B.P. 1541, Antanana-rivo 101, Madagascar.

Martin Nicoll, Senior Conservation Ad-visor, WWF – Madagascar and WesternIndian Ocean Programme Office, B.P.738, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar.

Oil sands in Madagascar

Agnès Joignerezimothy M. Healy

Oil sands are a relatively new source of petroleum-based raw materials for fuels and their exploi-tation has attracted the interest of many oil companies. For various reasons, however, they arehighly controversial with respect to global climate change goals, environmental degradation andhuman health. Indeed, WWF believes that they should not be exploited at all.

Oil sands are a relatively new source of petroleum-based raw materials for fuels and their exploi-tation has attracted the interest of many oil companies. For various reasons, however, they arehighly controversial with respect to global climate change goals, environmental degradation andhuman health. Indeed, WWF believes that they should not be exploited at all.

12 14 11

C WWF-Norway C WWF-Uganda

December 2009; UWA with WWF Uganda after contributing to capacity building workshops organised by WWF-Madagascar in Tana, Madagascar

Oil and the Environment

The oil reserves discovered in Uganda are located in anarea known as the Albertine Rift Valley (or AlbertineGraben) which runs down the entire Western border ofUganda. This area is known to be one of the richestareas in the world for mammal and bird species andcontains many of Uganda’s national parks, forests andgame reserves. It is also extremely beautiful and sojustifiably forms the basis of Uganda’s tourism indus-try. This potential for tourism is still at an early andrelatively undeveloped stage, yet is one of the majorcontributors to Uganda’s GDP.The Rift Valley also contains crucial ecosystem servic-es. These include:

provide clean water for Uganda and beyond up to Egypt;

a low in come community and assisting in climate moderating and water management;

y.The rift valley is home to many people who

depend on the environment for their income and livelihood. This is why the oil indus try must be managed in a way that ensures no damage occurs to the environment and that positive impacts are increased. There is a wonderful opportunity to ensure that the oil industry contributes to successful

environmental protection and management through revenue generation and infrastructure development.

BY: Wildlife Conservation SocietyPlot 802 Kiwafu Rd Kansanga

P.O. Box 7487, Kampala

077 2226003sprinsloo@wcs.org

Uganda’s Oil Region

2312

Wildlife Conservation SocietyPlot 802 Kiwafu Rd Kansanga

P.O. Box 7487, Kampala

077 2226003sprinsloo@wcs.org 24

The Oil ResourceIt is now well known that there are com-mercial quantities of oil in Uganda. Thishas led to much excitement, but also tofear that Uganda could suffer from the ‘OilCurse’, as Nigeria did, or from the ‘Dutchdisease’, which occurs when oil revenuesare not invested into other sectors, leadingto over dependence on oil (which will intime run out).

The biggest risk for the area is that rapidand uncontrolled development could leadto social collapse, unrest and environmen-

?dediovaebesehtnacwoH.noitcurtsedlatThe Govt. of Uganda is following the rightsteps, through open provision of informa-tion, sensitization of communities and ca-pacity building, and through putting inplace new policies, laws and planning re-quirements. If these are implemented, theoil should be to everyone’s advantage andUganda can pride itself with being a leaderin sustainable industry.

The oil is still under the exploration andtesting phase, which will continue for someyears in order for the government and in-dustry to understand the resource and thebest way of managing future productionoperations. Oil can’t be extracted untilthere is infrastructure in place for its safeand efficient distributing and/or processingand options are currently being assessed.

This period of planning also allows timefor the sustainable development measuresto be put in place.

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WILDLIFECONSERVATIONSOCIETY

Bibliography: (Oil sands in Madagascar)

(1) Total, nouvel opérateur majoritaire de Bemolanga. Tribune, 18 septembre 2008

(2) Lalaharihasina Joeli Valérien, directeur général de l’Omnis. In Total, nouvel opérateur majoritaire deBemolanga. Tribune, 18 septembre 2008

(3) Canada’s oil sands - opportunities and challenges to 2015: an update. National Energy Board. June2006.

(4) A Dirty Little Secret: Canada’s Global Warming Engine. Alberta tar sand profile series. Polaris Institute. Tar Sand Watch. Date?

(5) Are Canadian tar sands the answer to our oil needs? Money Week Nov 26, 2007. http://www.moneyweek.com/investments/commodities/are-canadian-tar-sands-the-answer-to-our-oil-needs.aspx

(6) The Canadian Oil Boom. By Robert Kunzig, March 2009, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/03/canadian-oil-sands/kunzig-text.html

.(7) Athabasca Chipewyan first nation leadership appalled and shocked by the Canadian and Foreign

Affairs Institute. July 2009. Tar Sands Watch.(8) Unconventional oil. Scraping the bottom of the barrel http://www.wwf.org.uk/filelibrary/pdf/

scraping_barrell.pdf;

The oil industry, the bush-meat trade and roads in Ecuador’s protected area:

Starting in 1994, a wholesale bush-meat marketdeveloped at Pompeya in north-eastern Ecuador, in-volving Waorani and Kichwa people and located ona road built to facilitate oil extraction within YNational Park. Between 2005 and 2007, andMorales recorded the trade of 11,717 kg of wild meatin this market, with pacas Cuniculus paca, white-lipped peccaries Tayassu pecari, collared peccariesPecari tajacu and woolly monkeys Lagothrix poep-piggi accounting for 80% of the total biomass. Almosthalf of the wild meat brought to the market was trans-ported by dealers for resale at restaurants in Tena,a medium-sized town 234 km to the west. Prices ofwild meat were 1.3–2 times higher than the price ofmeat of domestic animals, suggesting that it is a luxu-ry commodity and not a supplementary protein sourcein the urban areas where it is consumed. The cost oftransportation from the local communities to the Pom-peya market was a significant predictor of the amountof meat sold. Based on this relationship, the Waoranihunters sold much larger amounts of wild meat thanwould be expected if they had not had the transpor-

tation subsidies provided by the oil companies. Al-though the scale of this wild meat wholesale market isstill relatively small, its dynamics reflect the complexinteractions that emerge as the overriding influenceof oil companies or other private industries modifythe culture and subsistence patterns of marginalizedindigenous groups, increasing their potential impactson wildlife and natural ecosystems and Mo-rales et al. 2008).

Ecuador leaves its largest oil reserves perma-nently off-limits to exploitation:

June 2007 Under the Yasuni-ITT Initiative, the Gov-ernment of Ecuador formally announced its intentionto leave the country’s largest oil reserves permanentlyoff-limits to exploitation. The nearly 1 billion barrelIshpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) oilfields resideunder the eastern third of Yasuni National Park, anarea of high biodiversity and home to two indigenoustribes that live in voluntary isolation from the outsideworld. Ecuador depends on oil exports for one third ofgovernment revenue, and per capita GDP is approxi-mately $7,100 USD. In exchange for forgoing theprojected revenue from oil exploitation, Ecuador has

Case studies

14

full commitment. For tough decisions, some stake-holders will say yes when they actually mean no. Do not be satisfied with partial commitments or lukewarm acceptances which create the illusion of progress but untimately undercut your integrity.Lukewarm acceptance is worse than outright rejec-tion (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Be scientifically accurate: Base advocacy on the best scientific knowledge available, and verify this with fieldwork whenever possible. Do not risk your organization’s credibility by uncritically accepting that others have done their homework well. Repu-tation is a commodity that once lost is hard to get back. Thoroughly analyze both the substance and the strategy of an issue before publicly engaging in it. If for some reason you cannot do this, it is better not to engage in an issue at all until you have all the facts straight.

Stay within your area of expertise: If you don’tknow something, quickly admit this and promise to research the issue before taking a position. Don’trisk your organization’s credibility by taking an official position on environmental concerns, even those which may be extremely important and related to your work, if you have no particular expertise on

these issues.

Keep the moral high ground: Avoid the emotion: stick to the issues and conservation principles. Do not engage in personal or institutional attacks. Do not advocate causes or positions simply because others want you to, without having met all the other conditions listed above.

Cast out fear: Fear is cowardly-when it is not mas-tered. The bravest advocacy agencies know fear, but they do not yield to it. Face advocacy situation with courage, MAKE it stop. Suppose that any man who ever did anything worthwhile had been a coward! The world owes its progress to the men and women who have dared, and you must dare to speak out forwhat is true, noble and honorable; the effective word that is in your organizational mandate to speak. Remember that men erect no monuments and weaveno laurels for those who fear to do what they can (Andrew Carnegie).

Suggested reading: many of these principles have been adopted within a successful advocacy strategy implemented by WWF Canada: http://www.wwf.ca/about_us/advocacy

9

C WWF-Uganda

16 9

Mr. Steven Mukitaale (MP, Buliisa Constituency), Mr. Shem Byakagaba (CSCO Alternate Chair), Mr. Henry Bazira (CSCO Chairperson)

Seminars and workshops run by Ministries of Envi-ronment and like-minded civil society organizations,donors, and others aren’t doing the trick. More oftenthan not, when somebody in the Ministry of Finance orPlanning Ministry hears the word ‘environment’ theyswitch off, thinking that concern for environmentalmanagement is a luxury for rich countries, countriesthat got rich by converting their own environmentalresources - forests, fish, minerals, wetlands, water,etc., into wealth. “Now that they’re rich, they canafford the time to preach. We’ll worry about the en-vironment after we’ve dealt with health, education,infrastructure and our economy …”

Those of us in the business of safeguarding the en-vironment often bemoan the fact that environmen-tal concerns are usually low in the agenda when itcomes to promoting economic and social develop-ment. Recognizing that national economies and locallivelihoods in Africa are based on the exploitation ofnature, the gap between the importance of the envi-ronment for economic growth and development andthe weak support from governments and civil societyfor sustainable nature management is paradoxical.

So we must ask ourselves the question “How can wemainstream environment into national developmentstrategies?” Maybe the question is wrong. The envi-ronment is the foundation of development, the prob-lem is that decision-makers and the general publicdon’t recognize this. So the question may be “Howdo we get people to recognize this?”

The weak link in the chain of logic that claims “Envi-ronmental management is a luxury of the developednations who became rich by converting their environ-mental resources” is that there are a lot of tools andtechniques available today that didn’t exist during the18th and 19th centuries, when those rich countries gotrich. Emerging economies of today have options thatwere not available to their predecessors. One of themost promising is the Strategic Environmental As-sessment or SEA in acronym.

SEA is a proven tool for maximizing developmentbenefits through improved coordination and gover-

nance. Whether focused at the level of a sector (min-ing, tourism, fisheries, etc.) or a geographic area(country, coastal zone, community, etc.) the SEA pro-cess is designed to look at high level goals and en-sure that the growth of one element of developmentdoesn’t come at the expense of another. For example,the expansion of the mining sector must be compat-ible with health concerns, or an expansion of the oiland gas sector should not handicap the tourism sec-tor. SEA helps identify synergies and alternatives,and thus establishes dialogue to ensure flexibility andparticipation.

WWF in Africa has been promoting SEA for severalyears - especially with respect to the oil and gas sector- which is growing at a phenomenal rate. The Organi-sation for Economic Co-operation and Development

.ecruoseryranidroartxenaebotgnivorpsi)DCEO(Their ‘Guidelines on Applying Strategic Environ-mental Assessment’ is comprehensive, easy to readand very well organized. The Strategic Environmen-tal Assessment Task Team (http://www.seataskteam.net/) has a wealth of information and guidance. TheOECD has also produced an SEA handbook which isavailable on-line at http://www.seataskteam.net/guid-ance.php.

The US National Center for Environmental Assess-ment (NCEA) has also graciously offered their tech-nical support to facilitate training workshops and toprovide follow-up support for the implementation ofSEAs. SEAs need to be appreciated as tools to achievesustainable development objectives: the central roleof the environmental is clear and the importance ofsound environment management should emerge asa fundamental building block for a sustainable andproductive future - and not post-affluence luxury. TheEnvironment must be mainstreamed in our development agenda.

MAINSTREAMING THE ENVIRONMENT INTODEVELOPMENT POLICY:

Author: Paul Siegel, WWF Senegal Country Office.

10

tures and is likely to draw massivenumbers of immigrants. These de-velopments may increase pressureon land and natural resources, aswell as provoke conflict with otherland uses and activities.

Land and vegetation degrada-tion:

Oil sands mining requires approxi-mately two tonnes of bitumen-richmaterial for every barrel of oil pro-duced(4), and requires the removalof the top soil and its vegetationto expose the bitumen underneath.The vegetation cover in Bemolan-ga is mainly secondary savannah,but there may be significant wet-lands in the area, which could beaffected by toxic wastewater andtailings. In Canada, there is stilldebate about whether the reclama-tion of disturbed land following oilsands mining can feasibly restoreland into biologically productiveecosystems(5).

Water management, tailings andpollution:

Tar sands extraction requires mas-sive quantities of water(3), whichcould create hydrological stress inareas where water resources are

limited. Experiences in Canadahave shown that most of wastewater and tailings have to be dis-charged into large storage pondsfor an almost indefinite period.In these ponds, residual bitumenfloats to the surface, while fineclay and silt particles take sev-eral years to settle, producing atoxic yogurt-like goo(6) that maycontaminate water systems somedistance away. Currently, there ap-pears to be no technical solution totreat these wastes (3&5).

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emis-sions and climate change:

Production from oil sands current-ly releases about three times moreGHG emissions than pumping con-ventional oil from the ground(4).Based upon these estimates forMadagascar, the Bemolanga proj-ect would produce between 5 and8 million tonnes of carbon dioxideper year. This figure could be evenhigher if fuels with high GHGemissions are used to provide theenergy for oil extraction from theoil sands. Carbon offsets and se-questration could mitigate theseimpacts to some extent, but theseare significant emissions.

Human health Contaminationfrom the oil sands industry maylead to serious health risks throughthe ingestion of contaminatedwater, fish or agricultural prod-ucts. Heavy metals are known tohave various acute and chronictoxic effects. Some hydrocarboncompounds are also known to becarcinogenic. For instance, therehave been recent reports of highrates of cancer occurring in FortChipewyan, a town located nearthe Athabasca oil sands deposits inCanada(7).

ConclusionDeveloping its oil sands is clearlygoing to be attractive or a polemicfor a poor nation such as Madagas-car. We recommend that a multi-stakeholder Strategic Environmen-tal Assessment (including cultural,social and economic analyses) isconducted as early as possible andfollowed by land-use and socialplanning. In addition, we encour-age readers to consult WWF’s rec-ommendations to governments, in-dustry and investors regarding oilsands (8). The potential contribu-tion of Bemolanga to global warm-ing should also be included in theevaluation.

13C WWF-Uganda

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SolventsDieselMotor Oil Bearing Grease InkFloor WaxBallpoint Pens Football Cleats UpholsterySweatersBoatsInsecticidesBicycle TiresSports Car Bodies Nail Polish Fishing lures DressesTiresGolf Bags PerfumesCassettesDishwasherTool Boxes Shoe Polish Motorcycle Helmet CaulkingPetroleum Jelly Transparent TapeCD Player Faucet WashersAntisepticsClotheslineCurtainsFood Preservatives BasketballsSoapVitamin Capsules

AntihistaminesPursesShoesDashboardsCortisoneDeodorantFootballsPuttyDyesPanty Hose RefrigerantPercolatorsLife Jackets Rubbing AlcoholLiningsSkisTV Cabinets Shag Rugs Electrician’s TapeTool Racks Car Battery Cases EpoxyPaintMopsSlacksInsect Repellent Oil Filters UmbrellasYarnFertilizersHair Coloring RoofingToilet Seats Fishing Rods LipstickDenture AdhesiveLinoleum

Ice Cube TraysSynthetic Rubber SpeakersPlastic WoodElectric Blankets GlycerinTennis Rackets Rubber Cement Fishing Boots DiceHair Curlers Cold cream Movie film Soft ContactGolf Balls Nylon Rope CandlesTrash Bags House Paint Water Pipes Hand Lotion Roller Skates Surf Boards ShampooWheelsPaint Rollers Shower Curtains Guitar Strings LuggageAspirinSafety Glasses AntifreezeFootball Helmets AwningsEyeglassesClothesToothbrushes

Ice Chests lensesDrinking Cups Fan Belts Car EnamelRefrigeratorsFootballsCombsCD’sPaint Brushes DetergentsVaporizersBalloonsSun Glasses TentsHeart ValvesCrayonsParachutesTelephonesEnamelPillowsDishesCamerasAnestheticsArtificial TurfArtificial limbs BandagesDenturesModel Cars Folding Doors Shaving Cream AmmoniaToothpasteAviation fuel

One barrel of oil (160 litres) creates 73.4 litres of petrol. The rest (over half) is used to make over 4,000 products, including the following:

What is made from oil?

16

Membership

Membership to the coalition is free and open to in-terested organization that shows a commitment to themission and objectives of the coalition, provided theycan demonstrate that their activities or area of interestis relevant to the oil and gas sector or to the oil andgas affected communities. The Coalition is strictlynon-partisan and organizations having a politicalagenda are not accepted into the coalition. Membersmay be asked to leave the coalition if they misuse thecoalitions name or undertake activities which bringthe coalition into conflict or dispute in any way. Thecurrent membership to the coalition includes the fol-lowing;

1. Advocates Coalition for development and Environment (ACODE) (Host Organization)

2. International Alert

3. Kitara Heritage Development Agency(KHEDA)

4. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) -Uganda Country Office

5. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

6. Water Governance Institute (WGI)

7. Human Rights Network (HURINET)

8. Earth Savers Uganda

9. African Institute of Energy Governance (AFIEGO)

10. Uganda Wildlife Society (UWS)

11. Green Watch

12. Nature Uganda

13. Uganda Land Alliance

14. Pro-Biodiversity Conservationists in Uganda

15. Lake Albert Children/Women Advocacyand Development Organisation(LACWADO)

7

Meetingsat ACODE, the host organistaion. Situated at Plot 96Kanjokya street, Kamyokya - Kampala Uganda

CSCO upholds the goal of Uganda’s Oil and Gas policy which recognises (Sect. 7.3) the role civil societyorganisations play in ensuring accountabilityand enabling the voices of the poor to be heard.

18 7

International Alert.WILDLIFECONSERVATIONSOCIETY

Onesmus MugyenyiACODE

PRO-BIO

DIVE

RSIT

YCONSERVATIONISTSINUGANDA

Products from Oil.

NatureUganda

Movement Uganda ChapterEARTHSAVERS

LAKE

ALBE

RTCHILDREN/WOMENADVOCACY-

-AND

DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIO

N

There are extremes of pursuing advocacy, from extremely agreeable and rational cooperative discus-sions, to sharply critical personal attacks on decision makers. Below is a brief synthesis of good guiding principles in getting conservation advocacy right. These must be learnt and applied throughout our ac-tions and those of others: they indicate what works and what doesn’t work.

Cooperative approaches first: What is your goal? Is it to make the situation better? Then your priority focus should be on making an honest and thorough effort to influence decision-making through a coop-erative approach first, and to clearly document the response (or lack of it), before you move on to more critical approaches. The successful advocacy strat-egy is based on the knowledge of when to be the an -vil (to bear) and when to be the hammer (to strike).

Stay out of politics: Conservation organizationsshould offer general perspectives and specific advice to leadership of all political affiliations. They must support genuine conservation efforts taken by any-one, regardless of political or religious affiliations.

Recognize and address specific concerns: Con-servation agencies must be relevant and responsive to the varied range of stakeholder interests in the oil industry. Governments are interested in protecting rights and alleviating poverty through the oil and gas revenues; oil companies are interested in maximising profits while still remaining environmentally respon-sible; society desires that equity, transparency, good governance and other values be upheld. Conserva-tion organizations must be ready to support and workwith anyone who seeks to promote conservation while at the same time assisting stakeholders to meet their specific interests.

Strategic focus: For each stakeholder group, it is impossible to work with all individuals at once, there is need to focus on key players who must make deci-sions in the interests of conservation. In some cases, this may be one or two strategically-placed individu-als. In other cases, decision makers may first need to be convinced of the public will, so the target will be the general public.

Go for full commitment: Don’t rest until there is

Compiled by: Robert Ddamulira, WWF Uganda Country Office.

In this context, advocacy means influencing decision-making in the in-terests of conservation. Getting advocacy right is important for a con-servation organization because there is no room for mistakes; a single advocacy mistake can result in severe impacts on important stakehold-ers that can be extremely hard or impossible to rectify.

GETTING CONSERVATION ADVOCACYRIGHT IN THE OIL INDUSTRY:

GETTING CONSERVATION ADVOCACYRIGHT IN THE OIL INDUSTRY:

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sought financial commitments from the internationalcommunity to support its transition toward a moresustainable economy. To compensate for keeping thecrude oil in the ground, the Ecuadorian governmenthas asked for $350 million a year for 10 years.

Court case to halt damaging oil and gas devel-opment:

25 February 2009 Conservation Groups File Protest to Halt Damaging Oil and Gas Development, BA-KERSFIELD, California. Two conservation groups filed a formal protest with the Bureau of Land Management to stop an 11March sale of 23 oil and gas leases. The groups also sent the Bureau a 60-day notice of their intent to sue for violations of the Endangered Species Act regard-ing the impacts on the endangered San Joaquin kit fox from continued oil and gas leasing in its habitat, including activity that will result from the planned 11 March lease sale.The organizations — the Centre for Biological Diversity and Desert Survivors — are asking the Bu-reau’s California state director to stop plans to offer23 parcels of public land in sensitive habitat for the San Joaquin kit fox, a species whose numbers have been declining since its listing as an endangered species in 1967. In approving the sale, the Bureau authorized the leasing of 4,402 acres of public lands for oil and gas development, which includes building exploratory wells, developing wells, running seismic lines, and building access roads and vehicle routes. All parcels are located in Kern County in the San

Joaquin Valley, which is home to a majority of Cali-fornia’s oil and gas development. (Melissa 2009).

UNEP Launches Assessment of Oil-Contami-nated Sites in the Niger Delta:

Port Harcourt/Nairobi, 27 November 2009 A major assessment of the impacts of oil production in the Ogoni region of the Niger Delta was jointly launchedby the Governor of Rivers State and the United Na-tions Environment Programme (UNEP) in Bori, Ni-geria. The assessment, requested by the Government of Nigeria, will last approximately one year.Environmental contamination from oil exploration and production in the oil-rich Niger Delta region started during the 1950s, and has not been mediated to date, or only partially mediated. In addition, spills have resulted from a lack of maintenance, oil tap-ping, and damage to oil infrastructure and facilities over the last 15 years. The findings of the environmental assessment will make recommendations on the appropriate levels of mediation needed to rehabilitate the land to a condi-tion that is environmentally acceptable. The total budget for the assessment is USD 9.5 mil-lion, which is provided by the Shell Petroleum De-velopment Company (SPDC). The SPDC is a joint venture operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Shell, Elf/Total and Agip, in which the Government of Nigeria has a 55 percent stake. UNEP’s final assessment report is expected to be published by the end of 2010.

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Civil society and public at the launching of the Civil Society Coalition on Oil in Uganda

“Wild fire in Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve in Hoima - District Exploration Area 2

WWF Uganda’s Petroleum, Conservation and Civil Society ProgrammeWWF Uganda’s Petroleum, Conservation and Civil Society Programme

The WWF Uganda Country Office is part of the global network of WWF International, the leading indepen-dent conservation organization, operating in more than 100 countries world-wide. WWF Uganda is helpingto address growing concerns of local and international civil society organizations over the viability of main-taining the conservation value of Uganda’s unique biodiversity within the Albertine Rift in the face of ac-celerating development of its oil and gas resources. WWF Uganda is acting through three projects, described below:

Strengthening Environmental Civil Society in UgandaStrengthening Environmental Civil Society in Uganda

This project seeks to enhance the capacity of local civil society institutions tomeaningfully to contribute towards oil and gas development. It receives technicalsupport from a Norwegian Organisation called EMiS or Environment Movements

(comprising WWF Norway, Development Fund and Rainforest is financially supported by the Norwegian Agency for International

Cooperation (NORAD) and has the following specific objectives;

i. Forum for data and information sharing established at national and regional levels for environmental civil society organizations.

ii. Information access on petroleum development and governance issues in Uganda improved.

iii. Capacity of partner CSOs built in policy analysis and advocacy work.

WWF Norway. Through this project

Within Africa

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Oil for development projectOil for development project

(Project Name: Integration of environmental concerns and civil society engagement in petroleum related Norwegian development cooperation and the development of petroleum resources in developing countries)

This project is financed through NORAD with technical support from we are promoting a global exchange of experiences, strategies, tools and campaigns for the enabling of civil society to protect and secure natural resources and biodiversity from detrimental exploitation. it is implemented in Madagascar, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. The main outputs for this project during 2010 – 2012 are:

1. Establish knowledge and information about environment and the petroleum sector.

2. Strengthen capacity and motivation within civil society, government and private sector.

3. Establishing strategic partnerships, coalitions and alliances.

4. Implementation of advocacy strategies for better practices and more holistic and integrated naturalresource management developments in the petroleum sector.

in the South Foundation). It

friendly manner.

There is no flaring of hydrocarbons during test drilling since the oil is sent to refineries for processing.

There are several technologies for oil and gasextraction that can be used to reduce impactson the environment.

Human presence at drill site is kept at bare minimum with some drill sites managed by as little as 10 staff.

Equipped with this knowledge the study tour teammade the following recommendations which if imple-mented will ensure that wildlife conservation and oilexploration co-exist:-

1. In order to minimize noise at the oil sites, hydro electric power rather than generators should be used.

2. Drill pads within the protected areas should be small in size and the number of people at the sites at any one time should be limited toat most 20 persons.

3. Improved technologies should be used in the separation of mud cuttings from waste water in order to produce semi-dry drillwaste water that is easy to dispose.

Most of the drilling waste water should therefore be recycled and re-used to save on thewater resources.

4. A landfill should be identified for disposal of the contaminated mud cuttings currently in the country since it is impossibleand/or too expensive to remove the heavy metals.

5. There should be continuous capacity buildingfor the officers in the various government agencies to handle all aspects of oil and gas compliance monitoring.

6. An ecosystem monitoring tool should be developed with relevant parameters that can be used for monitoring key species and vegetation. Furthermore the direct and cumulative impacts of oil development particularly on tourism need to be determined

early and appropriate measures undertaken to ad-dress them.

7. An interim committee should be put in placeto set up a system for monitoring the oil and gas activities within and around protected areas.

Suggested further reading;

Plumptre A., et. al. 2006. The biodiversity of the Al-bertine Rift. Biological Conservation 134: 178 –194. Christian & Max, 2008. Ecuador’s Yasuni-ITT Intia-tive: Forgoing Oil Development For Biodiversity Conservation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Congress for Conservation Biol-ogy, Convention Center, Chattanooga, TN. Jul 10, 2008 http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p244297_index.html

Su´arez. E., Morales. M, et al. 2008. Oil industry,wild meat trade and roads: indirect effects of oil extraction activities in a protected area in north-east-ern Ecuador. Wildlife Conservation Society, Ecuador Programme

Melissa Thrailkill (2009), Center for Biological Diversity: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2009/kit-fox-02-25-2009.html . Ecuador’s Yasuni-Itt Intiative: http://www.amazon-watch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1606

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WILDLIFECONSERVATIONSOCIETY

UWA team at an oil production facility in Canada

Enviromental Movementsin the South

Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) Project.

This project is funded by the United States Agencyfor International Development (USAID) through a sub-award from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).The overall objective of the project is to ensure that steps preliminary to an SEA are undertaken, to enable SEA preparation and implementation to be conducted as early and as efficiently as possible. This project seeks to provide information on the oil industry in Uganda to stakeholders and to create awareness on the SEA process. It is also aimed at conducting economic, socio-economic and tourism baseline studies in the Albertine Rift.

The Civil Society Coalition for Oil (CSCO)

One of WWF-Uganda’s flagship achievements to date has been the initiation of a very successful coalition of civil society for oil in Uganda. CSCO has given civil society clout and unity in advocating for improved standards in all aspects of oil develop-ment, from transparency and good governance to environmental responsibility.

While WWF initiated the efforts for the coalition, several local and international organizations have de-veloped and sustained the coalition into an outstand-ing centre of influence for sustainable oil and gas development in the country.

CSCO MISSIONTo promote maximal benefits to the people of Ugan-da from petroleum discoveries in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability.

CSCO OBJECTIVES

To provide a forum where CSOs working on oil and gas in Uganda can share information, plan and strat-egize together.

To maximize individual organizations’ potential to sensitize and inform an ever-widening constituency of stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities presented by oil and gas.

To strengthen capacity building networks which disseminate and build up expertise across differentrelevant advocacy themes.

To create a platform for which member organizationscan conduct joint advocacy and engage with govern-ment agencies, companies, the media, etc.

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In order to equip her staff with skills and knowledgein monitoring oil activities, Uganda Wildlife Author-ity in November 2009 sent a team of six staff on a 6-day study tour to Canada to learn about the country’soil sector and pick lessons on how to ensure the co-existence of wildlife conservation and oil explorationwithin Uganda’s protected areas. Most of the currentongoing oil and gas activities are taking place in theAlbertine Rift which also doubles as the most impor-tant eco-region on continental Africa. The Albertinerift is a home to about 70% of Uganda’s wildlife pro-tected areas and comprises several forest reserves.

The study tour helped the UWA staff to learn bestpractices in waste management, flaring, piping, drill-ing operations, petroleum extraction technologies,reclamation and restoration of sites. Canada is theworld’s second largest oil and gas producing countryand was therefore ideal for such a mission.

UWA has the responsibility of ensuring that oil ac-tivities in the Albertine rift have minimal or no nega-tive impacts on wildlife conservation and that tourismactivities in the parks continue to take place with nointerference. The team learnt a lot about best practicesin the oil and gas sector in Canada many of which areapplicable to the Ugandan setting. These included thefollowing;

Canada requires oil and gas companies to deposit security bonds, which are used in restoration and reclamation activities in casethe company defaults or becomes insolvent.

Operational standards are in place to which all oil companies must adhere.

Oil and gas companies follow a strict data col lection program, upon which decisions relating to oil activities in sensitive areas arebased.

The number of oil exploration and production blocks is kept at a minimum in order to avoid fragmentation hence reducing on the footprint.

There is a rapid response to oil spills and pipe breakdowns. A sizeable budget is allocated to cleanup activities and the companies make sure that cleanup is done im mediately after detection.

Drill cuttings and drilling fluids are not contaminated with heavy metals as is the case in Uganda. This makes them easy to treat and dispose off in an environmentally

Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA)staff in Canada for exposure on Oil

and Gas activities

Author: Justine Namara, Senior Planning and Environment Impact Assessment Officer, Uganda Wildlife Authority; UWA’s mission is to conserve, economically develop and sustainably manage the wildlife and protected areas of Uganda in partnership with neighboring communities and other stake-holders for the benefit of the people of Uganda and the global community.

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To facilitate a two way access and exchange of information and other resources between members working at different levels.

Ministry of Energy & Mineral resources launching CSCO 24th November 2009 UWA team at an oil producing well in CanadaUWA team on a petroleum study visit in Canada

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Processes of oil development

There are three major forms of fossil fuels: coal, oil and natural gas. Allthree were formed many hundreds of millions of years ago in what isknown as the Carboniferous Period. “Carboniferous” gets its name fromcarbon, the basic element in coal and other fossil fuels.

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ment of the equipment along those lines to drill the holes for the explosive, laying of cables and record-ers, acquisition and then moving on to the next sec-tion. A team should then follow to restore the line as close as possible to their original state.The equipment can be man portable and therefore in forest or thick undergrowth a narrow trail can be cut to allow access for men and small vehicles such as quads.

Other less invasive methods, which have been in use for some time, are gaining in popularity due to their low of impact on the environment. This includes weight drop and if the target is very shallow, mini sosie. Here the line does not have to be so straight and the minimum clearance width can be as little as 2m. There is no requirement for drilling and as with Vibroseis the amount of time spent in each area can less than with conventional seismic.Good environmental practice can make any of the above methods acceptable and as with the operation it starts with public consultations and reconnaissance of the area to identify the problem or sensitive areas. This will be done in cooperation with the local au-thorities and environmental groups should they exist in the area.

The lines survey team and the permit personnel, (tasked with job of ensuring access is agreed), will

move along the line to gain permission for landown-ers and stakeholders. The agreement for access can be in the form of restoration or compensation should either be required. In areas with no ownership then it will be government which provides the permission.Line preparation, in accordance with the EIA permit, will take place and following the acquisition the res-toration team will follow along with the permit men to ensure what has been agreed is carried out.The aim is of course to ensure that the area looks un-changed following acquisition, in farm land this is fairly simple since the area is already manmade. In wild areas it is more difficult, the contractor can ensure that root systems of cut access routes remain intact, that access routes are as narrow as possible and are blocked off when done with. Erosion chan-nels are put in place to ensure that water run-off does not start to erode through the access routes. All the restoration activities should be signed off as complied with under the terms of the environmental permit.

Mitigation and compensation can be used in place of restoration where it is not physically or economi-cally practical to restore an area to its’ original state. A formula of payment can be agreed or with the government the operator can pay for a conserva-tion activity in another area to offset the operational changes made due to their acquisition programme.

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The Carboniferous Period occurred from about 360to 286 million years ago. At that time, the land wascovered with swamps filled with huge trees, ferns andother large leafy plants. As the trees and plants died,they sank to the bottom of the swamps. They formedlayers of a spongy material called peat. Over manyhundreds of years, the peat was covered by sand andclay and other minerals, which turned into a form ofrock called sedimentary.

More and more rock piled on top of this layer, and thepressure on the peat built up. The peat was squeezedand squeezed until the water in it was forced out undergreat pressure, combined with heat and an absence ofoxygen. Eventually, over millions of years, the peatturned into coal, oil or petroleum, mixed with naturalgas. As the earth changed, moved and folded, closedrock-pockets where oil and natural gas can be foundwere formed, called oil reservoirs.

After aerial surveys which establish the probability offinding oil, governments in the developing countriesusually invite multi-national companies to bid andenter into what is called Production Sharing Agree-ments (PSAs). Besides establishing the share of oilrevenues, PSAs also stipulate the extent of the areaallocated, the number of wells to be drilled, minimumfinancial investment per year, and the environmentaland social obligations the companies must meet.

Once awarded PSAs, oil companies usually conductseismic surveys which use sound to establish the ac-tual location and extent of potential oil reservoirs inan exploration area. These produce 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional pictures of the earth structure in anexploration area and give a clearer picture than aer-ial surveys, enabling oil companies to drill the mostpromising sites.

To find oil and natural gas, companies mobilize drill-ing equipment, chemicals and man-power to drillthrough the earth to the deposits deep below the sur-face. The oil and natural gas are then pumped frombelow the ground by oil rigs and transported throughpipelines, rail, ship or trucks to a refinery.

At oil refineries, crude oil is split into various types ofproducts by heating the thick black oil.

Many different products result - fertilizers for farms,the clothes you wear, the toothbrush you use, the plas-tic bottle that holds your milk, the plastic pen that youwrite with. They all originate from oil. There are thou-sands of other products. Besides all plastic products,which come originally from oil, others include petrol,diesel, aviation or jet fuel, oil for ships and heavy oilto burn in thermal power plants to make electricity.Oil is a non-renewable resource and soon or laterthe resources are depleted and the oil rigs, pipelines,refineries, etc., must be dismantled and the area re-stored. This requires quite a bit of money and it isadvisable that a proportion of oil revenues during theproduction phase are put aside for the field restorationphase.

Source: American Petroleum Institute (www.api.org).Figures are based on 1995 average yields for U.S. refineries. 1 US gallon = 4 litres.

Graphics adapted fromPaleontological Research Institution

other 0.3 galkerosene 0.2gal,lubricants 0.5 gal,feedstocks’ 1.2 gal,asphalt/road oil 1.3 gal,petroleum coke 1.8 gal,still gas 1.9 gal,liquefled gases 1.9 gal,residual fuel oil 2.3 gal.

jet fuel 4.1 gallons

distillate fuel oil9.2 gallons

gasoline19.5 gallons

what’sin a barrelof oil

Source: API.Totals morethan 44 gals.because of “processinggain”

Wetland reclamation: Rice field in Antananavivo - Madagascar

It is not necessary to leave such scars across the countryside, furthermore most of the big Geophysi-cal companies will emphasise, in their application bids, their commitment to environmentally friendly operations.

Whatever anyone says the main consideration is money, how much more will it cost and is it worth it. These decisions take place at government level, as normally these costs are recoverable by the operator.This is not the topic for this particular essay.The method of seismic acquisition used will depend on the social circumstances, geography, geology,depth of target and the ground cover. All this should be taken into account in an all encompassing Envi-ronmental Impact Assessment. This assessment will make the recommendations of what is acceptable, what is not acceptable and how to mitigate distur-bances caused by operations be it to the land or to local populations. This report will be taken in ac-count by government who will issue the permit for operations and the parameters to which the company must adhere.

Generally speaking an operator of an exploration license will invite geophysical companies to bid on a job through a tender document. The tender document should specify the HSE requirements. The environ-mental requirement will depend on the sensitivity of the area in which operations will take place. Thosegeophysical companies will conduct a reconnais-sance of the area to determine the best way to con-duct the acquisition.

Geography can pose many difficulties leading to

operations as diverse as Vibroseis acquisition to heli-copter supported operations using explosive.The geophysical company will make their op-erational preferences clear in their bid document, highlighting how they will handle environmentally sensitive areas. What is of importance is the restora-tion requirement.

Vibroseis is certainly an easy, self contained method of seismic acquisition. It consists of a series of tracked or wheeled vehicles moving in a straight line across the area and at fixed points stopping to lower their plates and start their thumping energysource, record the results and move on. This method needs open spaces, the line does not have to be dead straight but deserts and savannah best suit this method.

The impact of vibroseis in the right environment can be very low, less people means a smaller camp, there are no lines and no drilling and vehicles can move in and out of an area more quickly. If vibroseis is used in a bush or forest environment then a minimum 4m swathe will need to be cut through the bush or for-est and this will undoubtedly leave a scar. However if that forest is already destined for logging, fast at regeneration or easily replanted, then it could be deemed as acceptable.

Conventional use of explosives is still the main form of acquisition. This is the most labour intense and again depending on the geography the level of sup-porting equipment and personnel will vary.The method of acquisition requires the survey of the lines, preparation of those lines for access, move-

Land Seismic acquisition and environment protection do not have to be mutual-ly exclusive. The scars of past seismic activity marked by cleared straight lines hundreds of kilometres long are there for everyone to see. They stride straight across plains, tundra, forests and swamps, regardless of geography or ground cover.

Doing Seismic Operations right:

Author: Jeremy Martin has 20 years of experience in the Oil & Gas industry mainly accumulated from operations in Africa and South East Asia.

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If produced and managed well, Uganda’s estimated 2billion barrels of oil plus its gas resources would placeUganda in the top 50 producing countries worldwide.Not only that, it is probable that the resources wouldsignificantly improve Uganda’s economy by help-ing to meet rising local and international energy de-mands. On the flip side, development of the resourcesis providing a new and little understood challenge forthe sustainable conservation of the unique biologicaldiversity of the Albertine Rift. The thirty four (34)oil and gas wells drilled to date are all located either

within a protected area or a 2 km distance from a pro-tected area boundary.

The map below shows the most prospective basinsfor oil exploration (marked in yellow). These are de-marcated into exploration areas, on which are super-imposed the protected areas (green) - these make upnearly 70% of the total protected area estate in thecountry. Over 95% of the 34 oil and gas wells drilledto date (Oct. 2009) are located either in a NationalPark or a Wildlife Reserve.

Fig. 1: Map showing the overlap between protected areas and petroleum explorations areas

Source: WWF Uganda Country Office

Overlap of protected areas and oil prospective areas in the Albertine rift

Uganda faces a unique paradox; oil and gas resources have been found in the same area that pro-vides a home for over 70% of Uganda’s wildlife. Described as an Endemic Bird Area by Bird LifeInternational; a Global-200 Priority Eco-region by WWF and the Eastern Afromontane Biodiver-sity Hotspot by Conservation International, the Albertine Rift is the most important eco-region oncontinental Africa (Plumptre, 2006).

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Lomunga Wildlife Reserve

East Madi Wildlife Reserve

Ajai Wildlife Reserve

Karuma Wildlife Reserve

Bugungu Wildlife Reserve

Murchison Falls National Park

Kaiso-Tonya Community WA

Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve (EPS)

Toro Semuliki Wildlife Reserve

Semuliki National Park

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Kibale National Park

Queen Elizabeth National Park

Kyambura Wildlife Reserve

Kigezi Wildlife Reserve

Also numerous Forest Reserves

“Space travel has given us a new appreciation for the Earth. We realize that the Earth is special. We’veseen it from afar. We realize that the Earth is the only natural home for man we know of, and that we had

better protect it.” James Erwin, US astronaut

“The fundamental principles of ecology govern our lives wherever we live, and ... we must wake up to this fact or be lost.”

Karin Sheldon, environmental lawyer [1973]

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed.”Mahatma Gandhi

“That’s human nature. Nobody does anything until it’s too late.” Michael Crichton, from the novel Prey

“I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?”

Robert Redford , actor, at Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985

“Eventually we’ll realize that if we destroy the ecosystem, we destroy ourselves.” Jonas Salk , American physician and microbiologist, 1914-95

“To waste, to destroy, our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to in-crease its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we

ought by right to hand down to them.”Theodore Roosevelt

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.”

Baba Dioum, Senegalese conservationist

“At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” George Orwell

“We shall never understand the natural environment until we see it as a living organism. Land can be healthy or sick, fertile or barren, rich or poor, lovingly nurtured or bled white. Our present attitudes and laws governing the ownership and use of land represent an abuse of the concept of private property....

Today you can murder land for private profit. You can leave the corpse for all to see and nobody calls the cops.”

Paul Brooks

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s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future

nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and

ture increases bring crop-withering heat waves, more-destructive storms, more-intense droughts, more

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As the global demand for oil and gas reachespeak levels, more and more oil companies areseeking petroleum resources from unconven-tional and hitherto very remote places. Un-fortunately these same remote places are alsorecognized and valued for their biodiversityresources.

The Albertine Rift is one such area. It is conti-nental Africa’s most ecologically diverse areafor vertebrates and has the highest level of en-demism. This narrow stretch of land, only 45km wide and running from the southern tip oflake Tanganyika to about 30 km above LakeAlbert in Uganda, is home to 14% of all Afri-can reptiles (175 species), 19% of all Africanamphibians (119 species), 35% of African but-terflies (1300 species), 52% of all African birds(1061 species) and 39% of all African mam-mals (402 species) (Plumptre et. al. 2006).

This high biodiversity is protected through anetwork of over 15 National Parks and Wild-life Reserves (comprising 70% of all Uganda’sconservation areas). This biodiversity also sup-ports a growing tourism industry and sustainsmillions of lives in poor rural communities,providing people with food, medicines, natu-ral resources and ecological services, as well asspiritual and aesthetic benefits.

However, the Albertine Rift has recently beenproven to have vast oil and gas reserves. Thisuntapped resource is potentially very impor-tant in providing much needed income to

Uganda. Oil and gas represents a source ofcheap energy resources, and will provide vari-ous direct and indirect benefits to socio-economic growth, diversification andeconomic independence. To date, 34 oil and gaswells have been drilled. They define Uganda’scommercial reserves as upwards of two billionbar -rels of oil: equivalent to a production levelof 100,000 barrels of oil per day for the next20 years.

Oil development in Uganda has the potentialto provide much needed funds for biodiversityconservation, and a massive boost to currentefforts for poverty alleviation. However, if notwell managed, it could adversely affect thecountry’s conservation significance and lead tohigher levels of poverty and inequality throughexacerbating resource based conflicts.

Increasing global and national demand for en-ergy, and a high likelihood that oil and gas willbe used to meet much of this demand over thenext several decades, means that the risk tobiodiversity from energy development projectscan be expected to increase. But oil develop-ments can also made a positive contribution tobiodiversity conservation, as has been shownin several countries worldwide.

Increasingly many leading international oil

Dear Reader, we warmly welcome you to this edition of the Oil for Development Newsletter, produced by the WWF Ugan-da Country Office.

Editorial:Editorial:

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Mr. David Duli, Country Director - WWF UCO

companies around the world are finding stra-tegic, operational, reputational and financialbenefits for the inclusion of biodiversity con-servation in their decision-making, policiesand operations. And so: how do we realize thepotential positive contributions of oil devel-opment to conservation in the Albertine Riftwhile minimizing the conservation challengesit creates in this high value ecosystem?

The juxtaposition of energy needs and biodi-versity values creates some difficult challengesfor the Ugandan public, the oil industry and theconservation community. Oil companies oper-ating on behalf of the Ugandan governmentface the challenge of finding acceptable waysto meet the Uganda’s demand for abundant,low-cost oil and gas products; at the same timethey must meet Ugandan and international ex-pectations for a high level of corporate socialand environmental responsibility.

For conservation organizations, the challengeis to be an effective advocate for biodiversityconservation: working with government, local

communities and the industry to find an op-timal balance between the direct and indirectthreats the oil and gas industry presents, andharnessing new opportunities arising from theinfluence, expertise and resources from oil de-velopment. The goal is a net gain in the statusof biodiversity conservation when the finite re-sources of petroleum are depleted.

This first WWF Oil for Development Newslet-ter takes up the challenge of integrating con-servation, petroleum development and civilsociety concerns. Taking advantage of its in-ternational network and national efforts, theWWF Uganda Country Office is seeking toprovide knowledge and generate discussion onthe conservation challenges of the oil and gasindustry, the role of CSOs in enabling win-winoptions, potential opportunities petroleum de-velopment brings to biodiversity conservation,and so much more.

I take this opportunity to welcome you to thismaiden edition of our Oil for DevelopmentNewsletter. I wish you good reading…

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in these articles are not those of WWF Uganda or WWF International, unless stated to be so.They are the views of the individual authors and are published in the interest of promoting dialogue, awareness and meaningful exchanges among stakeholders involved.

David DuliCountry Director, WWF Uganda

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“There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist.” Mark Twain

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

“We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles.” Jimmy Carter

“To know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”

Gaylord Nelson, former governor of Wisconsin, co-founder of Earth Day

“Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good action; try to use ordinary situations.” Jean Paul Richter, German Romantic novelist and humorist

“We—human beings—are part of ‘biodiversity.’ We are dependent on the whole food chain down below us.”

Darrell Merrell, heirloom vegetable farmer

“A society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy.”John Sawhill, former president/CEO of The Nature Conservancy

Only when the last tree has been cut down,Only when the last river has been poisoned,

Only when the last fish has been caught,Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

Man can’t not live by money alone. Cree Indian Prophecy

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Chief Seattle

“Among the environmental trends undermining our future are shrinking forests, expanding deserts, falling water tables, collapsing fisheries, disappearing species, and rising temperatures. The tempera-

ture increases bring crop-withering heat waves, more-destructive storms, more-intense droughts, more forest fires, and, of course, ice melting. We are crossing natural thresholds that we cannot see and

violating deadlines that we do not recognize.” — Lester Brown, author of Plan B, v3.0

Inspirational environmental quotes:Inspirational environmental quotes:

2 23

NEWSLETTERUGANDA

Together we can make oilgood for Uganda

Design and layout by:

Production by: Elite Graphics+256-312-371234

Contacts:

Anthony Mugabi - +256-772-915149Phillip Philemon KaayaPhilemonfreeeze@yahoo.com+256-782-074799 / 715-528707

Together we can make oilgood for Uganda

WWF Uganda Country OfficePlot 12, Bukoto StreetP. O. Box 8758, Kampala. Uganda.Office: +256(0) 414 540 064/65Fax: +256 (0) 414 531 166 Web: www.panda.org/earpo

Oil foNewsletterAddWWPlot 12, Bukoto StPUganda.Office: +256(0) 414 540 064/65Fax: +256 (0) 414 531 166 W

David DuliCountry DiWWEmail: dduli@wwfuganda.org

Robert Ddamulira Oil and Gas PWWMobile: +256(0)776 582 723 Mobile: +256(0)712 582 723Email: rddamulira@wwfuganda.org jermain_dr2002@yahoo.com

Paul KambuguOil and Gas PWWMobile: +256(0)714 174 991Mobile: +256(0)772 939 325Email: pkambugu@wwfuganda.org

Edited by: AndTConservation of Biodiversity in the Albertine Rift FoWW

Designed by: Covers designed by:

P

WWWWWWWW

OtheW

December 2009 No. 001

This Newsletter has been produced with support from the NorwegianAgency for Development Cooperation(Norad), Enviromental Movements in the South (EMiS) and WWF Norway.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this document, don’t neccesarily reflect those of EMiS, Norad or WWF Norway.

Ngassa 2 well site near Lake Albert in Hoima District-Uganda

Enviromental Movementsin the South

WWF

WWFThe developing world is often faced with challenges of matching development and environment protec-tion. The present generation is slowly opening up to the concerns of sustainable development. The idea of sustainable development substantively incorpo-rates the application of sound environment practices to achieve a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature. The United Nations Millennium De-velopment Goal seven highlights the need to ensure environmental sustainability. One of the targets of this goal is to promote the integration of principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.

Many developing countries have ratified conven-tions in accordance with the United Nations charter and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their natural resources and develop-ment policies ensuring that the activities do not cause damage to the environment under their juris-diction as well as states around them. Within the EastAfrican Community, the protocol on Environment and natural resources management recognizes that development activities may have adverse effects on the environment and depletion of natural resources.

The international exploration and production sector of extractive industries has made its own contribu-tion to self-regulation and promoting a good level of environment performance through established

industry guidelines in their areas of operation. How-ever, the guidelines often depend on region to region or ecosystem to ecosystem. Most times these guide-lines do not offer special consideration to the sensi-tive eco-regions. The management of environment and conservation of such areas which may include gazetted areas for endangered flora and fauna is left at stake. The responsibility of preserving the envi-ronment becomes a challenge to national govern-ments of developing countries which normally desire to boost revenue collection, create employment and improve livelihood of their people with little regard to environment matters.

The extractive industry operators ease their way to these natural serene habitats for their activities be-cause of high poverty levels of the communities, the ineffective governance and feeble civil society. Theachievement of sustainable development requires the intervention of civil society, environmental educa-tion of the communities and political will of national governments to institute appropriate measures to conserve the environment. The Albertine Rift region of Eastern African is one such pristine environment on the continental Africa that should be regarded with exceptional environmental management and this can only be realized through a concerted effortfrom the extractive industry operators, the national environment agencies, conservation fraternity, civil society and the communities.

Environmental management & conservation vs. Sustainable development – The case of extractive

Industries in developing countries:

Author:Paul Kambugu, WWF Uganda Country Office.

C WWF-Canada

Oil for Development NewsletterAddressWWF Uganda Country OfficePlot 12, Bukoto StreetP. O. Box 8758, Kampala. Uganda.Office: +256(0) 414 540 064/65Fax: +256 (0) 414 531 166 Web: www.panda.org/earpo

David DuliCountry DirectorWWF Uganda Country OfficeEmail: dduli@wwfuganda.org

Robert Ddamulira Oil and Gas Project ManagerWWF Uganda Country OfficeMobile: +256(0)776 582 723 Mobile: +256(0)712 582 723Email: rddamulira@wwfuganda.org jermain_dr2002@yahoo.com

Paul KambuguOil and Gas Project OfficerWWF Uganda Country OfficeMobile: +256(0)714 174 991Mobile: +256(0)772 939 325Email: pkambugu@wwfuganda.org

Edited by: Andrew Grieser JohnsTechnical AdvisorConservation of Biodiversity in the Albertine Rift Forests of UgandaWWF Uganda Country Office

Designed by: Anthony MugabiPhillip P. Kaaya

Covers designed by: Phillip P. Kaaya

Production by: ELITE Graphics

WWF Contributors: WWF MadagascarWWF SenegalWWF Uganda

Other Contributors: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)

Table of ContentsEditorial ........................................................... 1

Processes of oil development ................................3

Overlap of protected areas and oil prospective areas in the Albertine rift .................4

WWF Uganda’s Petroleum, Conservation and Civil Society Programme ..............................5

The Civil Society Coalition for Oil (CSCO) ........6

Getting Conservation Advocacyright in the oil industry .........................................8

Mainstreaming the environmentinto development policy ......................................10

Uganda’s Oil Region .....................................12

Oil sands in madagascar ...........................14

Doing Seismic Operations right .........................21

Showcasing uwa-wwf partnership in madagascar ..........................................................11

Inspirational environment quotes ................23

Uganda Wildlife Authority(UWA) staff in Canada for exposure on Oil and Gas activities...............19

Case studies ........................................16

Whats made from oil? ........................................18

Environmental management & conservation vs. Sustainable developent............25

25

Oil production facility in Alberta Canada.