The standard requires that ‘the risks and impacts identification process consider relevant threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services especially focusing on habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, invasive alien species, overexploitation, hydrological changes, nutrient loading, and pollution’. To achieve this, the standard outlines ideal strategies for management of impacts on biodiversity for both modified and natural habitats including critical habitats. Critical habitats represent areas with the high biodiversity value including habitat of significant importance to Critically Endangered and/or Endangered species (Stefan et al, 2013). The standard recommends avoidance where critical habitats may be affected unless specific criteria (outlined in Guidance Note 17 of the standard) are demonstrated. These include an exhaustive analysis of alternatives; a requirement that the project does not degrade values for which critical habitat status was designated and a robust monitoring program, among others. As such, the ESIA baseline survey sought to determine presence or absence of valued species to assess whether or not the project area of influence constitutes a critical habitat.

According to IFC (2012) performance standard 6 paragraph 16, a ‘Critical habitat’ is an area with high biodiversity value, and has to fall under the following criterion;

1. Habitat of significant importance to Critically Endangered and/or Endangered species
2. Habitat of significant importance to endemic and/or restricted-range species
3. Habitat supporting globally significant concentrations of migratory species and/or congregatory species
4. Highly threatened and/or unique ecosystems
5. Areas associated with key evolutionary processes.

The KFDA was found to have areas which qualify to be classified as critical habitats basing on IFC performance standard 6 paragraph 16 criterion (i) and (iv), which triggered an analysis to identify possible triggers of critical habitat within the landscape surrounding the KFDA. The analysis identified three critical species namely; Common chimpanzee, Grey Crowned Crane and Nahan’s Francolin as one of these potential triggers. A critical species is any species that has an extremely high risk of extinction in the near future as categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN, 2016).

Project-induced in-migration (or influx) describes the movement of people into an area in anticipation of, or in response to, employment and other economic opportunities from the development and/or operation of a new project. Although the in-migration may result in improvements in infrastructure, services, and employment in the project area of influence, it can also lead to significant negative environmental, social and health impacts, adversely affecting both the project and the project-affected communities. Such impacts have the potential to fundamentally change the context in which a project operates, leading to significant consequences in terms of the planning, implementation, and outcomes of environmental, social and health programs and management plans, increased operational costs, and increased operational risk, ultimately affecting a project’s “social license to operate”.

As recognized by the ESIA, the Tilenga project PIIM is expected to have far reaching impacts on individuals, households, communities, public and private institutions, the physical environment and among other aspects. The impacts of PIIM and how they are effectively managed depends to a large extent on the pre-existing situation in the project area and the overall national and international social, economic, political, legal and human rights environment.

Eco and Partner Consult Ltd, was contracted by Total Energies EP Uganda to undertake Project Induced In Migration (PIIM) Studies for the Tilenga project, these studies constituted the following:

• PIIM Planning and Scoping
• Stakeholder Identification, Analysis and Engagement
• PIIM Situation Analysis
• Assessment of PIIM Risks and Impacts Mitigation
• PIIM Strategy Development and Management Approaches
• PIIM implementation; PIIM Management Plan