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Calls grow to halt planned mining at Mana Pools
Alex Bell, SW Radio Africa
July 18, 2012

http://www.swradioafrica.com/2012/07/18/calls-grow-to-halt-planned-mining-at-mana-pools/

Calls are growing for urgent intervention to stop the planned mining operations at Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, with conservationists warning that the UNESCO World Heritage Site faces irreparable destruction if the plans are carried out.

There are already plans being implemented for the construction of tourism camps, which have been approved by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA). Conservation groups like the Zambezi Society have warned that: "Not only will these developments inevitably increase tourism impacts on the already-impacted and fragile alluvial eco-system of the Mana Pools floodplain, but restrict public access to popular and scenic places like Mana River Mouth."

But it is the latest plans that have conservationists and members of the public up in arms, with an intention to allow the prospecting and exploration of Mana Pools for heavy mineral sand deposits. The mining plans, if they go ahead, will ultimately see the ruination of the site, with noisy, destructive strip mining being the preferred method to mine for the sand deposits. The natural, physical beauty of the area will become a mining pit while the wildlife faces potential poaching threats.

Prospecting and exploration licences for the area were granted last September to a mining firm called GeoAssociates, a locally owned company, to mine for heavy mineral sand deposits in Ruckomechi and Chewore rivers in the Zambezi Valley. The Valley was apparently chosen because it is rich in the sand deposits.

The public, as well as conservation and tourism groups, have expressed their outrage to the plans. According to the Zambezi Society, the Mana Pools status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site "means that it is a property of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) because of its cultural and/or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity."

"As such, the permanent protection of this heritage is of the highest importance, (not only to Zimbabweans) but to the international community as a whole," the Zambezi Society said.

The EMA has reportedly approved the plans, but the public have been urged to submit their comments and concerns as apart of an investigation into the environmental impact of the mining operations. At the same time, online petitions have also been started to try and drum up support to stop the mining operations.

Johnny Rodrigues from the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force told SW Radio Africa on Wednesday that the threat to Mana Pools is not isolated, and the general lack of rule of law in Zimbabwe means the environment is being widely exploited.

"We have about 20 licenses for mining that have been granted to the Chinese in Hwange. We have the conservancies being over run with invaders. There aren't any environmental assessments being done," Rodrigues said.

He added: "Everything has collapsed in Zimbabwe so the only thing left for them (the government) is to get involved in these deals. They're supposed to be the guardians of our wildlife, but greed takes over and this is what happens."
Rodrigues urged the international community to intervene and put pressure on the government to abide by its own laws and commitments to protecting Zimbabwe's wildlife. He explained that without this intervention, the destruction of the environment will carry on.

Sign the Change petition targeting the Zambian side of the operations

https://www.change.org/petitions/zambia-environmental-management-agency-prohibit-mining-in-the-lower-zambezi-national-park

Sign the Avaaz petition

http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_Destructive_Developments_at_Mana_Pools/

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