nuclear-news

Uranium mining in Tanzania’s World Heritage Site?

The Selous cannot remain a World Heritage Site if the Tanzanian government gives the go-ahead for mining to start within the property,” 

Unesco to decide on uranium mining at Selous next month   18 May 2012 By Lucas Liganga The Citizen Dar es Salaam. The Unesco World Heritage Committee (UWHC) will break the deadlock next month when it will decide whether or not to allow
mining of uranium in Selous Game Reserve, one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in Africa, harbouring the largest elephant population on the continent.

“The deal will be decided next month in St
Petersburg, Russia, by the Unesco World Heritage Committee,” said the
deputy minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu,
this week…. some international as well as local environmentalists
and politicians, including a handful of MPs, have strongly opposed the
mining plans. They have maintained that the mining project would have
a devastating impact on the economic and social fronts, and would deal
a major blow to the ecology of the region.

A mission of German parliamentarians that visited Tanzania in August
2010 expressed serious concerns about the project, fearing
uncontrolled radioactive pollution (produced by uranium mining) on the
environment in the region… Among the opponents of the project is Dr
Rolf D. Baldus, a wildlife conservationist who has worked in the
Selous Game Reserve for 13 years, and is regarded as one of the major
authorities on the reserve. He says there was general agreement that
no mining activities may be conducted in a World Heritage Site.

“The Selous cannot remain a World Heritage Site if the Tanzanian government gives the go-ahead for mining to start within the property,” said Dr Baldus in a statement made available to The Citizen
last year.

Dr Baldus, who has authored or edited about 60 publications on the
Selous Game Reserve, said Tanzania had not provided an environmental
impact analysis (EIA) report for the projects in the Selous.

May 19, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AFRICA, environment