Oil and gas in sub-Saharan Africa

08 July 2011

Biodiversity and Conservation

Matea Osti, Lauren Coad, Joshua B. Fisher, Bastian Bomhard and Jonathan M. Hutton Volume 20, Number 9, 1863-1877 DOI: 10.1007/s10531-011-0056-6

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Activity from oil and gas development in sub-Saharan World Heritage sites has to date been limited; however, future pressure cannot be ruled out, due to continued presence of concessions within more than one quarter of the network, and projected expansion of oil and gas exploration within the region. Our results may be used to inform the inclusion of new sites into the WH network. This research represents the first time that we have been able to assess, at a regional scale, the potential impacts of the oil and gas industry on protected areas. This work has potential to influence how conservationists and the extractive industry can work together to identify areas of conservation importance which may be affected by oil and gas exploration, and to use this information reduce these impacts.