Large scale land acquisition and resettlement in relation to oil extraction, pipeline construction and associated infrastructure is necessary on both a temporary and permanent basis, as the pipeline route traverses a number of heavily populated districts in both Uganda and Tanzania.

Land acquisition within the oil extraction zone and along the pipeline corridor will likely force resettlement of entire communities. These changes, if not managed well and with extensive community consultation and consent, could lead to increased land conflict and the erosion of cultural heritage, especially in indigenous communities. New infrastructure such as roads and settlements will likely disrupt existing community livelihoods by fuelling conflict or restricting access to natural resources along the pipeline route.

Additionally, issues of resettlement and compensation are very sensitive in countries such as Uganda and Tanzania, where land titles and rights are complex. Rights often go unrecognized and undervalued when extractive industries enter customary owned territories. Without extensive community consultation and consent over projects that concern their lives and resources, violations regarding land ownership, resettlement and compensation are likely. 

Harassment and irregularities in the land acquisition and compensation process are already being reported. Local community representatives report being harassed, forced to sign different forms without clear explanation,  stamp and sign empty forms, and fill valuation forms using a pencil but sign in ink. People's properties along the pipeline have been assessed and valued and communities were consequently instructed to cease any activity on the demarcated lands. This prevents them from putting up new developments on their land, including graves, and growing crops. Additionally, compensation for the land has still not been paid and is expected to be postponed until the financial investment decision has been taken. The delays in paying compensation and the restrictions on using the land has already impacted people's livelihoods and the continuation of everyday life.    

Oil extraction is expected to have a profound impact on livelihoods, including those reliant on agriculture, livestock rearing, and fishing communities at Lake Albert, where oil extraction will occur. The pipeline also poses a threat to the fresh water basin of Lake Victoria and to the wetlands of Tanzania, through which the pipeline is expected to run, which directly supports the livelihoods of more than 30 million people in the region.

The project also threatens the region’s thriving tourism sector, which is a source of livelihood and pride to many in East Africa. This includes the Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda’s largest park and a popular tourist destination, where 40% of Lake Albert’s oil is located. Tanzania, where 1,149 kilometres of the pipeline will be built and operated, is a country heavily dependent on tourism and on its wetland ecosystem for transport, fishing, agro-pastoral activities, hydrological processes and irrigation. For this reason the possibility of a pipeline leak leading to degradation of these key ecosystems, protected areas and wildlife habitats is not only an environmental threat, but a severe socio-economic one as well. Employment benefits brought by the pipeline project (expected to provide a total of 5,000 jobs of which only 300 will be permanent) is far overshadowed by the potential loss of jobs in the tourism sector and the social, environmental and socio-economic costs of disruption of those ecosystems resulting from the project.

 

Extraction at the oil fields in Albertine Graben will most directly impact the Murchison Falls National Park, posing a serious threat to biodiversity and rare and endangered species. Moreover, important tributaries of the Nile flow nearby, and oil spills and other pollution affecting the river could have profound impacts as distant as North Africa. Pollution of these rivers can put severe pressures on all users - from individuals, to businesses and governments - leading to an increase in cross-border conflicts.

Pipeline: According to a preliminary environmental and socio-economic threat analysis conducted by WWF, the pipeline also poses far reaching and extensive environmental threats to the East African region, including:

• Nearly 2,000 square kilometres of protected wildlife habitats, including the Biharamulo Game Reserve and Wembere Steppe Key Biodiversity Area, will be negatively impacted by the EACOP project
• Approximately 500 square kilometres of important wildlife corridors for the Eastern Chimpanzee and the African Elephant species are likely to be severely degraded
• Freshwater pollution and degradation are at high risk, as over 400 kilometres of the pipeline will traverse the Lake Victoria basin
• Two important Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), the Pemba-Shimoni-Kisite site and the Tanga Coelacanth site, are at high risk given the huge amount of oil to be transferred offshore at the Tanga Port. These EBSAS host several Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as well as Mangrove Forest Reserves.

The probability of a pipeline oil spill is high, given that about a third of the pipeline is located in the Lake Victoria watershed, an active seismic area. In fact, there are already several accounts of oil spills or seepages in the Albertine Graben region, including one at the Kiboro hot springs on March 29, 2020.

Ramsar Wetlands: Both components of the project will directly impact several Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance. (The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.) Oil extraction will take place within the Murchison Falls-Albert Delta Wetland System, a Ramsar site that plays an important role for wildlife in the National Park and is a spawning ground for indigenous fish species. The pipeline will also run near or through a number of Ramsar sites that lie just west of Lake Victoria, including Mabamba Bay, the Lake Mburo-Nakivali System, the Lake Nabugabo System, the Nabajjuzi System, and the Sango Bay-Musambwa Island (e.g. see Daily Monitor, August 2019). Several potential financiers have policies restricting them from financing operations that adversely impact Ramsar sites.

Climate change: The EACOP pipeline will carry 216,000 barrels of crude oil per day at ‘plateau production’. This oil is likely to result in CO2 emissions of over 33 million tonnes each year, significantly greater than the combined emissions of Uganda and Tanzania, at a time when the world’s scientists are telling us that new fossil fuel developments need to stop if we are to tackle the climate crisis. According to a report from the Carbon Tracker Initiative, none of the Total and CNOOC projects in Uganda are compatible with the Paris Agreement. 

Oil extraction often causes disproportionate impacts on women, who often carry the burden of relocation and change in society while not benefiting from new employment opportunities. It has also been reported that where extractive industries operate there is often a rise in levels of prostitution and gender-based violence. According to ActionAid’s report on the human rights impact of Uganda’s oil sector, the sex trade in Hoima, where extraction at Lake Albert will occur, has significantly increased over the last several years due to the discovery of oil.