Teddy Namayanja
9 November 2009
Nairobi — As Uganda gears up for oil production, attention is shifting to the impact the rush for petrodollars is likely to have on conservation in the Albertine Rift.
"The rich biodiversity in the Albertine Rift is at a risk because this is where oil exploration activities are concentrated. While environmental impact assessments have been carried out, it is important to find a workable formula for sustainable tourism even as we exploit the oil resource," observed Amos Wekesa, chief executive of Great Lakes Safaris.
According to Sustainable Tourism in the Albertan Rift, a USAid sponsored project, Uganda's biodiversity needs to compete with other interests to thrive.
At a three-day meeting in Jinja, about 100 stakeholders drawn from a cross section of sectors, discussed ways of reaching a shared vision for tourism development.
The meeting explored the future of the country's tourism vis a vis the rush for oil, unsustainable land use practices, poor infrastructure and low funding for conservation.
The meeting was concerned that in the absence of a well-defined plan and policy framework to protect the environment, conservation of tourism's resource base could be eroded.
They agreed that oil has a great potential to reduce poverty in Uganda, but only if the right actions are initiated now.
"We need to find that middle ground that can lead us to a win-win situation between conservation and oil," said Kelly MacTavish, proprietor of Pearl of Africa Safaris.
While conservation often takes centrestage in any discussion concerning oil exploration, there are other problems affecting the tourism sector.
Poor infrastructure means getting to some of the attraction is troublesome while low investment in marketing means even fewer potential visitors get to know about their existence.
Service standards are low while in the recent past peace and security have also been issues.
There is also fear over the absence of a clear policy framework on how oil revenues are going to be shared.
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