Conservation and Oil in Protected Areas: Part I The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

For the past years, we have fought for the protection of Virunga National Park and against oil exploration and exploitation in Africa’s oldest National park. We engaged in this battle not only because we wanted to safeguard one of its most iconic species, the mountain gorilla, but also because we believe that he Greater Virunga… Read More

Stop the East African Crude Oil Pipeline: For People, For Nature, For Climate

Over 260 organisations call on banks not to finance Total’s East African Crude Oil Pipeline With a final investment decision nearing, African and International organisations warn banks against joining $2.5 billion loan for a “manifestly irresponsible” project On the 1st of March 2021, 263 community and not-for-profit organisations from around the world urged the CEOs… Read More

Total When Is It Time to Let Go? Save Murchison Falls National Park

Understanding the impact of a low carbon transition on Uganda’s planned oil industry Matthew Huxham, Muhammed Anwar, Eoin Strutt and David Nelson In late 2020, the governments of Uganda and Tanzania inked key agreements with a consortium of international oil companies and in so doing, injected momentum into a planned oil industry in Uganda. Nearly… Read More

Dodgy Deal 4: Oil in East Africa, Communities at Risk! Save Murchison Falls!

Companies must take action to respect the rights of communities at risk in East Africa’s oil frontier In research released today alongside FIDH and partner organizations, Oxfam highlighted the major risks of oil projects led by French energy giant Total in Uganda and Tanzania, which would require over 12,000 families to lose land and endanger… Read More

#SaveMurchisonFalls: Avoiding Total disaster in Africa

On 30 July, oil giant Total wrote off $8bn of its fossil fuel reserves, admitting they were stranded assets that would never be used due to weak oil demand and the impact these assets would have on the climate. By Mohamed Adow Founding Director of Power Shift Africa, a climate and energy think tank, based… Read More

Alert ‘Protected’ Areas Are Under Threat: Upemba, Virunga, Murchison, Salonga…

A Third of the World’s ‘Protected’ Areas Are Under Threat Six million square kilometers are under intense pressure from human activity. The world map is peppered with patches of protected land, ostensibly ringed by clear borders that seem to safely shield our few remaining wild areas from human encroachment. But the reality on the ground… Read More

Drilling Africa’s Great Lakes: No Virunga and No Planet B

Blocks off Africa’s coast have already been snapped up by exploration companies but what of East Africa’s enormous great lakes? With exploration well underway in Lake Albert and plans laid down for Lake Malawi, Philip Kleinfeld looks at the social, political and environmental challenges. Lake Albert Uganda Blocks off Africa’s coast have already been snapped… Read More

BREAKING: CSOs Call on the Presidents of Uganda and DRC to Avoid Oil Exploration in Sensitive Ecosystems in Albertine Graben

The Albertine Graben is home to Virunga National Park in the Eastern DRC which is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site and accommodates 43% of Africa’s bird species, 27% of Africa’s mammals and more than 10% of its reptiles, amphibians, and plants in addition to several rare and endangered species that exist nowhere else… Read More

New Oil and Gas Production Incompatible with Paris Climate Goals and Protection of Virunga – Salonga

Overinvestment in oil and gas creates risks for investors, regardless of whether the world is effective in tackling climate change. Either investors face assets being stranded as demand for fossil fuels falls in a transition to a low carbon economy, or the overinvestment contributes to excess emissions from fossil fuels, the failure to transition and… Read More

Virunga and Salonga are Now Open for Oil Drilling – Why You Should Care?

Two of the World’s Most Biodiverse Wildlife Parks are Now Open for Oil Drilling – Why You Should Care In late June 2018, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) government voted to open up two of the country’s national parks to oil exploration. Because the decision will put wildlife at risk and pump high amounts… Read More

Virunga National Park: Africa’s Crown Jewel in Danger

Africa’s oldest and most biodiverse nature reserve is also its most dangerous. In 2018 alone, militia in Virunga National Park in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo killed twelve rangers during their work. Because of the violence, the park was closed to visitors since June 2018. Now he opens his doors again. Does the resource-rich Virunga still have… Read More

Global Witness: Salonga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo is at risk from oil exploration due to a questionable contract

Salonga National Park in Democratic Republic of Congo is at risk from oil exploration due to a questionable contract that could be null and void under Congolese law * Save Virunga differs with Global Witness‘ views on oil exploration in DRC. DRC should not push for any new oil exploration and exploitation in its territory, inside… Read More