Kampala — Environmental bodies have re-affirmed that they are not opposed to oil mining in the protected areas but have demanded that the negative impacts on biological diversity be addressed.

"Conservationists are not opposed to oil drilling as long as oil exploitation benefits conservation of the environment and the communities in the vicinity of the parks," said Sarah Prinsloo working with the Wildlife Conservation Society.

She said an environmental impact assessment study has to be conducted prior to the oil mining. "This has to come before any oil drilling or mining is conducted in the park. It is a tool, which interested parties use to monitor."

Such study establishes the environmental, social and ecological impacts of a project. It also spells out mitigation measures to ensure that the negative impacts are minimised.

"This means that restoration of the areas should be done after exploration and mining of the oil," said Prinsloo.

In addition to the assessment, the stakeholders are working on a new concept known as "biological diversity offset" to minimise the loss of biodiversity. "We have to ensure that there is no net loss of biological diversity," said Imelda Bacudo of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA).

Oil mining in parts of Murchison Falls National Park, for example, would require conserving another area and adding value to it in order to offset the loss created by the negative impact, she explained.

Bacudo pointed out that when oil drilling takes place in a national park, the large mammals tend to migrate. This, she noted, is a source of concern for many people. But even more important are the species that can not migrate and are part of the precious ecological system in the park.

"That is why it is important to go beyond restoration of the areas where oil exploration and development activities have taken place, but also consider the loss of species."

Biodiversity offset is a new concept which stakeholders are still discussing. "We are still in the consultation process and the oil companies, particularly Tullow Oil, have shown an interest," noted Bacudo.

"At the moment, we are working on voluntary offsets. Our aim is to have mandatory offsets, guaranteed by law. This would mean that each company operating in a protected area would be required to pay."

Generally, she pointed out that the oil companies in Uganda do not want to create another Nigeria. That is why they have found it necessary to address environmental concerns, hoping to turn Uganda into a case study, showing good conservation and business practices. For that to happen there is need for oil companies to coordinate and communicate their planned activities with stakeholders, according to Bacudo.

"We only get to know about their activities when they come to us for clearance. There is need for somebody specific in UWA to address oil related issues."

This, she pointed out, will help avoid a situation where operations start on the ground without the stakeholders being informed or involved.