2 Background
2.1 Historical and Geological Status of the Albertine Graben
Uganda has five sedimentary basins including the Albertine Graben, Hoima Basin,
Lake Kyoga Basin, Lake Wamala Basin and Kadam-Moroto Basin.
10 The focus of
this chapter is the Graben that is estimated to be holding over 4.5 billion barrels of
crude oil thus making it the fourth largest oil reserve in Sub Saharan Africa.
11 It is
situated in the northern area part of the western part of the East African Rift Valley
System, 500 km long, averaging 45 km wide and 23,000 square km.
12 The Graben
strides between Uganda and Sudan in the north to Lake Edward in the south,
(including the Democratic Republic of Congo).
13
According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) sensitivity Atlas
The Graben is a Cenozoic rift basin formed and developed on the Precambrian
orogenic belts of the African Craton. Rifting was initiated during the late
Oligoceneor Early Miocene.
The Albertine Graben was initiated by either reactivating pre-Cambrian lineaments or creating new normal faults by an extensional regime during the Cretaceous
prior to initiation of the East African Rift System. This was followed by a compressive regime and this regime could have persisted into late Oligocene or even Early
Miocene as evident from seismic data. The earliest dated sediments from Semliki
basin indicate an age of Early Miocene. The Graben trends in a North East to South
West direction through most of its length. Each of the rift basins in the Albertine
Graben is bounded by steep border faults and broad uplifted flanks (escarpments)
that are predominantly pre-cambrian basement composed of metamorphic rocks
such as gneisses, quartzite, schist and varying amounts of mafic intrusions.
14
The Graben is known for its pristine natural environment, rich wildlife and
community wildlife reserves coupled with eco-tourism in Murchison Falls National
Park grossing a lot of revenue annually for Uganda. It is reported that in 2009 the
national park was visited by approximately 40,000 visitors.
15
The Albertine area is currently recognized globally as a biodiversity hotspot,
containing over 50% of birds, 39% of mammals, 19% of amphibians, and 14% of
reptiles and plants found in mainland Africa.
16 Unfortunately Murchison Falls
National Park lies in Exploration Area 1, in which 6 wells (Mpyo 1, 2 & 3 in the
10 Global Rights Alert (2017).
11 International Monetary Fund (2010).
12 NEMA (2009), p. 3.
13 NEMA (2009), p. 3.
14 NEMA (2009), p. 3.
15 Johnson et al. (2014).
16 Plumptre et al. (2009).
Land Conservation in the Albertine Graben Region of Uganda: A Critical. . .
81
2.1 Historical and Geological Status of the Albertine Graben
Uganda has five sedimentary basins including the Albertine Graben, Hoima Basin,
Lake Kyoga Basin, Lake Wamala Basin and Kadam-Moroto Basin.
10 The focus of
this chapter is the Graben that is estimated to be holding over 4.5 billion barrels of
crude oil thus making it the fourth largest oil reserve in Sub Saharan Africa.
11 It is
situated in the northern area part of the western part of the East African Rift Valley
System, 500 km long, averaging 45 km wide and 23,000 square km.
12 The Graben
strides between Uganda and Sudan in the north to Lake Edward in the south,
(including the Democratic Republic of Congo).
13
According to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) sensitivity Atlas
The Graben is a Cenozoic rift basin formed and developed on the Precambrian
orogenic belts of the African Craton. Rifting was initiated during the late
Oligoceneor Early Miocene.
The Albertine Graben was initiated by either reactivating pre-Cambrian lineaments or creating new normal faults by an extensional regime during the Cretaceous
prior to initiation of the East African Rift System. This was followed by a compressive regime and this regime could have persisted into late Oligocene or even Early
Miocene as evident from seismic data. The earliest dated sediments from Semliki
basin indicate an age of Early Miocene. The Graben trends in a North East to South
West direction through most of its length. Each of the rift basins in the Albertine
Graben is bounded by steep border faults and broad uplifted flanks (escarpments)
that are predominantly pre-cambrian basement composed of metamorphic rocks
such as gneisses, quartzite, schist and varying amounts of mafic intrusions.
14
The Graben is known for its pristine natural environment, rich wildlife and
community wildlife reserves coupled with eco-tourism in Murchison Falls National
Park grossing a lot of revenue annually for Uganda. It is reported that in 2009 the
national park was visited by approximately 40,000 visitors.
15
The Albertine area is currently recognized globally as a biodiversity hotspot,
containing over 50% of birds, 39% of mammals, 19% of amphibians, and 14% of
reptiles and plants found in mainland Africa.
16 Unfortunately Murchison Falls
National Park lies in Exploration Area 1, in which 6 wells (Mpyo 1, 2 & 3 in the
10 Global Rights Alert (2017).
11 International Monetary Fund (2010).
12 NEMA (2009), p. 3.
13 NEMA (2009), p. 3.
14 NEMA (2009), p. 3.
15 Johnson et al. (2014).
16 Plumptre et al. (2009).
Land Conservation in the Albertine Graben Region of Uganda: A Critical. . .
81