Effects of oil and gas exploration in the Albertine Rift region on biodiversity

Louise Johnson 2007 Assessing the Impacts of Energy Developments and Developing Appropriate Mitigation in the Uganda portion of the Albertine Rift

Status of Oil Exploration in Uganda • first attempts at drilling were in late 1930’s at Buitaba Waki-B1 well • current oil reserves variously estimated (range from as low as 3.5 to as high as 700 million bbl) • production potential is about 200,000 b/d once the country's known fields are developed • bulk of the oil exploration activities so far concentrated in Exploration areas 1, 2 and 3 with several productive wells successfully drilled

Louise Johnson 2007 Assessing the Impacts of Energy Developments and Developing Appropriate Mitigation in the Uganda portion of the Albertine Rift

Status of Oil Exploration ctd • Prospecting for oil in Uganda’s Albertine Rift restarted in 2003 - 04 • government has licensed five exploration areas (EAs) out of a total of nine, both onshore and offshore in Lake Albert. • Key of the licensed blocks are EAs 1, 2 and 3A, respectively in the Pakwach, Northern Lake Albert and Southern Lake Albert/Semliki Basins. • By 2009 Tullow and Heritage had drilled 27 oil wells, of which 25 were confirmed to contain commercially viable hydrocarbons

Status of Oil Exploration ctd • Several productive wells drilled in Kabwoya, Bugungu WRs, MF National Park and Tonya CWA • An additional good number in intermediate unprotected areas (in Bulisa area) • Exploration prospects in the QENP area, Semliki WR & West Nile

Status of Oil Exploration ctd • Additional seismic survey, further exploratory drilling, the longer-term production stage, pipelines, decommissioning plans and audits are envisaged to continue in the Albertine Rift area in general and in the Protected Areas within it in particular

• Variety of ecosystems in the AR area • Largely account for the rich biodiversity area is known for

Plumptre 2002Extent and Status of the Forests in the Ugandan Albertine Rift

• Fragile systems with loose soils easily erodible

• Low lying flat areas not so dense vegetation • With scattered trees

• Areas with quite deep erosion surfaces and gullies. • Largely bare of vegetation cover

• Areas of dense bush/thickets

Biodiversity of the Albertine Rift area area is currently recognized globally as a biodiversity hotspot contains over 50% of birds, 39% of mammals, 19% of amphibians, and 14% of reptiles of the African continent, a large number of endemics large number of protected areas, ranging from forest reserves, community wildlife reserves, wildlife reserves to fully -protected national parks

Source: Environmental Sensitivity Atlas for the Albertine Graben

Plumptre 2002Extent and Status of the Forests in the Ugandan Albertine Rift

• Most vulnerable of the biodiversity

Not just oil! • • • • • • • • • •

Proposed Ayago hydropower dam in MFNP Karuma Hydropower dam and associated facilities Upgrading the Hoima-Kaiso Road Upgrading of the Bulisa- Hoima road Hydro-power dam on River Wambabya Proposed Gas Pipeline from Nzizi well sites in Kabwoya WR Geothermal Exploration and Development Oil processing facility(????) Connecting pipelines etc etc ASSOCIATED POPULATION GROWTH

Impacts on biodiversity • Ecosystem and environmental compromise from the oil sector - different points at exploration, extraction, processing and transportation • the associated socio-economic developments • increased pressure at the PA boundaries from population buildup due to the socio-economic developments

• Population trends various species of Mammals in MFCA, 1973-2006

• exploration and developing the oil product could result into variety of direct and indirect impacts to biodiversity • Fragmentation of populations and/or their habitats • Disruption and/or blockage of dispersal and/or foraging routes (Case of elephants) • Habitat destruction due to restricted movement of animals and forcing them to over use of one area • Increased poaching and other illegal activities

• Off set gone bad?????

Seismic survey designs

Semliki basin showing the seismic grid (source Kashambuzi and Mugisha (undated)

• Extending the edge into natural habitats in areas traversed by the seismic lines • Destruction of critical habitats that may be crossed by the lines (eg. Lekking grounds, breeding grounds for amphibians and other ground nesting animals, etc) • Water channel destruction and siltation if the lines crossed such channels - this would have consequences for aquatic biota • Behavioral disruption for wildlife in areas that are actively being worked for data acquisition. • Potential for actual killing of slow moving animals by the trucks

Drill Pad and Workers Camp construction

• Drill pad area 100*100m - drilling phase • Restored to leave 10*10m(?) around well head after drilling

• Typical drill pad area – Cleared of veg, fenced, modified by heaping and compacting marrum etc

Drill waste pits with unflared oil potential death traps

• Direct animal impacts • Oil Spills and poisoning

Thanks for your attention

• 2 D seismic

• 3 D seismic

THE VALUE OF 3D SEISMIC IN TODAY'S EXPLORATION ENVIRONMENT IN CANADA AND AROUND THE WORLD Cooper, N.M. Mustagh Resources Ltd., Calgary, 400 604 -- 1st Street SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 1M7, e:mail: [email protected]