28 October 2016: A foresight study commissioned by the UN Environment Programme – World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) highlights locations where current and future oil and gas development could threaten African biodiversity. The report identifies specific countries and operations where “more robust impact avoidance and mitigation strategies” are needed, and potential risks for investment portfolios within the finance sector.

The report reviews more than 500 oil and gas companies operating across Africa and assesses the degree to which contract blocks managed by different company types and sizes overlap with areas of biodiversity importance. By juxtaposing the estimated 2,719 onshore and offshore oil and gas contract blocks in Africa (covering more than nine million square kilometers) with a combined data set of more 7,320 protected areas and 1,414 key biodiversity areas (KBAs), the study team finds a 29% overlap between areas of biodiversity importance and the contract blocks.

Countries identified with the highest degree of overlap between areas of biodiversity importance and current oil and gas contract blocks included Djibouti, Malawi, Somalia, South Sudan and Zambia. With regard to future oil and gas activities, Guinea-Bissau, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia were described as “likely to be more threatened” than other countries.

The study identifies the large proportion of Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) sites overlapping with existing contract blocks as a particular concern because they represent “the last refuge for species threatened with global extinction.” It notes that future oil and gas developments “may create further potential tensions,” with an additional 85 Key KBAs and 266 protected areas, “including a number designated under international conventions and agreements.”

The report notes that while biodiversity data may be accessed prior to project development as part of environmental impact assessments (EIA), the use of such data to inform decisions on offering contract blocks is far less common. It points out the need for oversight to be extended to “single country companies and very large national companies,” since the operations of such overlap to a much greater extent with areas of biodiversity importance than is the case with privately owned multinational companies, “where much civil society effort for engagement is currently focused.”

The report also identifies marine and coastal protected areas and KBAs as having a “high degree of current and future overlap with oil and gas concessions.” It emphasizes the need for marine spatial planning that integrates biodiversity data in these areas. [UNEP-WMCM Press Release] [Potential threat to areas of biodiversity importance from current and emerging oil and gas activities in Africa] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on IGF, Mining, Minerals and Metal] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Mining in Africa]