Christmas and New Year involved far too much working on Lou's part, as she was preparing for her forthcoming assignment in Uganda. In conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Society, financed by USAID, she provided training on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) specifically related to minimizing impacts from oil development. Lou enrolled the help of EIA trainer Karl Fuller of Sherwood SEA, to assist in developing and delivering the course materials. Two days in the classroom were followed up with a 3-day trip to visit several exploration sites on the shores of Lake Albert, in the Albertine Rift area of mid-western Uganda. Attending the course were representatives from Uganda's statutory agencies involved in energy-related EIA approval e.g. from Uganda Wildlife Authority, National Environmental Management Authority, the Forestry Authority, the Wetlands Management Division, and the Fisheries Authority. There were also representatives from the Petroleum Exploration and Production Department, WWF-Uganda and WCS. These are key organisations to target for capacity building, as several oil-related EIA's have managed to get approval although they were far below best international standards.
As the Albertine Rift is the most vertebrate species-rich eco-region in the whole of Africa, with the most endemic species than any other African region, a proper understanding of exploration operations and impacts (and effective use of the EIA process) is fundamental as Uganda drives forward with its oil exploitation programme. The juxta-position of internationally important species and protected habitats with hydrocarbon reserves is one that needs extremely careful management. Louise will be returning to help establish WCS’s Reducing Oil Development Impacts programme in the near future.
Meanwhile, closer to home at the London Boat Show, our new boat Pèlerin was proudly on show on North Sea Maritime's stand. Colin was there for the whole duration (gold star!) to help NSM deal with specific queries on OVNI's in general (& Pèlerin in particular); Lou arrived mid-show on her return from Uganda. Pèlerin attracted a lot of positive attention, with many people intrigued by her shiny aluminium hull and by her 'beached' posture (she was resting on the floor with her keel and rudder up, as if she were gracefully lounging on a Caribbean beach). As people approached, they invariably knocked on the hull, fascinated by the feel of a non-GRP boat. This gave us ample opportunity to talk to people about our reasons for choosing such a boat, and our exploration intentions with Wave Action.Whilst at the Show, Colin gave a presentation on the WiSe Scheme for the benefit of Show attendees. Keen support from the Green Blue meant this was well attended, with great interest from sailors and their families keen to minimize disturbance on wildlife from their encounters. It was fantastic that so many friends and family came to visit us at the Show, eager to view our new floating home, and better understand what has been keeping us busy for the last 18 months!
Eventually we both returned to Falmouth, and Pèlerin was road-transported to Plymouth to be launched, on what turned out to be Burns Night (very fitting!). Due to some slight teething troubles, and gales from the south-west, we kept her in the marina until the weather turned for the better. Her inaugural sail was saved for a beautiful Feb weekend, where we sailed her to Falmouth via a stop over in Fowey. What a trip! She now sits in Mylor, as we fit her out with the various pieces of equipment and electronics we consider essential for our forthcoming expedition.
With the arrival of Spring comes the annual marathon of co-ordinating and preparing for WiSe courses across the country. Following additional courses in Cornwall, Colin and the “WiSe roadshow” leave Falmouth late February, to deliver training in east & west Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jersey (a new location for the WiSe scheme) and the Isle of Man, with the potential for an additional course in Devon. An important part of this programme is the training of the next generation of WiSe Instructors, resulting in each region having permanent WiSe-trained resources to ensure the healthy future of WiSe around the country. Another recent feature of WiSe training has been the demand to target individuals interested in becoming guides on existing marine eco-tourism ventures, and the WiSe website now lists several people who've undertaken WiSe training who are eager to assist with onboard species information and identification.
More next month…
