{"id":2177018,"date":"2024-08-10T06:00:57","date_gmt":"2024-08-10T05:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2177018"},"modified":"2024-08-03T08:23:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T07:23:31","slug":"advocacy-group-links-uganda-oil-infrastructure-to-human-elephant-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/advocacy-group-links-uganda-oil-infrastructure-to-human-elephant-conflict\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy group links Uganda oil infrastructure to human-elephant conflict"},"content":{"rendered":"

Oil drilling by French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies is disturbing wildlife in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda\u2019s largest and most-visited protected area. This is according to a briefing by environmental advocacy group Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO), which warns that noise pollution is driving animals out of the park, leading to increased conflict with nearby communities.<\/p>\n

AFIEGO says that between the start of drilling operations last year and April 2024, five people have been killed by elephants moving outside the park into the neighboring district of Buliisa. It also reports that people living around the park have threatened retaliatory killings of wild animals.<\/p>\n

Since the start of drilling, TotalEnergies has requested permission to deploy a second rig in the park. Dickens Kamugisha, executive director of AFIEGO, told Mongabay he was surprised the company would seek to expand its operations. \u201cTotal had promised minimal activities in the park,\u201d he said. \u201cWhy is it now saying we want to conduct more activities?\u201d<\/p>\n

John Makombo, director of conservation at the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the government agency that manages parks, rejected AFIEGO\u2019s briefing as \u201crumormongering,\u201d saying the NGO has no capacity to assess impacts on the park. \u201cGet proper scientific studies,\u201d he told Mongabay. \u201cWhen AFIEGO people tell you that elephants are being pushed away by oil and you\u2019re there you don\u2019t want to do research, you write rumors.\u201d<\/p>\n

AFIEGO reached its conclusions about the development of the Tilenga field by mapping TotalEnergies\u2019 activities in the park using satellite images and then assessing the impacts of the new oil infrastructure on wildlife by interviewing biodiversity experts, tour guides, civil society actors, and residents of nearby communities between April and June 2024.<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/a>
Map courtesy Earth Insight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fishermen,<\/a>
Fishermen, Murchison Falls National Park: AFIEGO fears the construction of pipelines and other oil infrastructure near wetlands and water bodies risks damaging these ecosystems and the livelihoods of people who rely on them. Image by Bernard Dupont via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Uganda discovered oil in the Albertine Graben, in the western part of the country along its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2005. A consortium led by TotalEnergies is drilling for oil in the park as well as on the shores of Lake Albert, which produces more than 40% of Uganda\u2019s annual fish catch, providing food and livelihoods for millions of people.<\/p>\n

Drilling infrastructure in the park includes a rig, well pads, roads, electricity lines, and pipelines that will transport oil to the central processing facility. Bright light from the drilling rig is visible up to 14 kilometers (nearly 9 miles) away. AFIEGO says this is causing significant disruption to the nocturnal life of animals like leopards and hyenas, which hunt in the dark.<\/p>\n

The Daily Monitor, a national newspaper, reported that officials at the Petroleum Authority of Uganda (PAU), a regulatory agency, were alarmed by the company\u2019s \u201cnon adherence\u201d to guidelines supposed to ensure mutual coexistence of oil activities and the environment.<\/p>\n

TotalEnergies Uganda declined to comment on the AFIEGO briefing, but in its public statements the company has committed \u201cto leave Murchison Falls National Park (MFNP) and the surrounding landscape in better condition than if the project had not taken place.\u201d It described actions it\u2019s taking to support management of the park overall, including funding for snare removal and additional patrols, training and new equipment for park rangers, and anti-poaching campaigns in surrounding communities.<\/p>\n

It also said the oil field will be developed in line with environmental and social performance standards set out by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Ugandan law. For example, TotalEnergies said it had reduced the number of well pads from 79 to 25, of which just 10 are located inside the park\u2019s boundaries.<\/p>\n

But AFIEGO\u2019s briefing challenges the substance behind these claims.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo of the ten wellpads that are being developed to enable oil extraction in Murchison Falls National Park are too close to the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Ramsar site, a wetland of international importance that is important for conservation of endangered bird species such as the shoebill,\u201d the briefing reads. AFIEGO further says pollution from construction of the Victoria Nile Pipeline Crossing near the same wetland threatens to destroy fish spawning grounds and damage habitat for vulnerable and endangered species including shoebill storks and gray-crowned cranes.<\/p>\n

\"Shoebill<\/a>
Shoebill storks (Balaeniceps rex) are among vulnerable species that could be affected by the construction and operation of the Victoria Nile Pipeline Crossing. Image by Kyla Marino via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Satellite<\/a>
Satellite image of Victoria Pipeline Crossing, Murchison Falls, NP. Image courtesy Earth Insight.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Alongside the siting of infrastructure on or near critical habitat, the description of disturbances caused by noise and light pollution, and the reports gathered from local communities of heightened conflict with displaced wildlife call the company\u2019s compliance with IFC guidelines into question. The standards refer to avoiding harmful impacts on the health and safety of affected communities throughout the project\u2019s life, and restricting the conversion or degradation of natural habitat \u2014 permitted only when there are no viable alternatives and in consultation with affected communities.<\/p>\n

The guidelines also require biodiversity monitoring and evaluation. It\u2019s not clear such a program is in place for the Tilenga project, however. A UWA team visited the park on July 11, but a brief statement on social media didn\u2019t mention if the team took note of impacts of construction on wildlife. \u201cOut of the 10 oil wells discovered inside the park, drilling is complete at JBR 05 and drilling is going on at JBR 04 that will cross the pipeline on the Nile River bed using horizontal directional drilling,\u201d the team reported.<\/p>\n

AFIEGO is urging government to cease all oil exploitation activities in the park, but not all interested parties share the NGO\u2019s assessment of impacts. Herbert Byaruhanga, a tour operator who regularly takes visitors to the park, says he hasn\u2019t observed changes in the number or presence of animals. \u201cI have read a report on the effect of animal distribution, but the tourism zones are still being visited. Therefore, we may not be able to detect if there is any negative impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

AFIEGO\u2019s Kamugisha told Mongabay he fears the long-term impacts of oil production in the park could see the government degazetting some sections of the park. \u201cGovernment can say, this area is no longer a wildlife reserve area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> by Musinguzi Blanshe was first published by Mongabay.com on 30 July 2024. Lead Image: Elephant, Murchison Falls NP, Uganda. Image by Travel Aficionado via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).<\/i><\/p>\n

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