Mining for mineral resources

Mining is supposed to increase the nations’ and the peoples’ wealth, but unfortunately this is not usually the case in tropical Africa. Many children have to work in the mines and the security situation is gereally extremely bad. Often mining has detrimental effects on the environment: the forest is cut, soil and water are polluted, the increase of miners results in further deforestation, hunting of endangered species and social problems. In eastern D. R. Congo, militia often control mines (cassiterite, coltan, gold, diamonds) and use the proceeds for buying weapons.


Mining Menaces Itombwe Nature Reserve

In the remote Itombwe Nature Reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), mining increasingly threatens nature conservation efforts.…

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Oil versus Forest in the Congo

In April 2022, Greenpeace reported that the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo planned to auction off concessions for the extraction…

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Pressures on Natural Resources of the Maiko National Park

Management of the Maiko National Park (MNP) has remained difficult due to the presence of armed groups in different sectors of the park. The…

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The Itombwe Nature Reserve Faces Many Threats

Regretfully, we must draw the attention of the conservation community to an observation made during our last environmental education mission on 29…

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Banro's Activities in the Itombwe Nature Reserve

After investigation and verification on site, the management team of Itombwe Nature Reserve confirms with regret that the company Banro has not only…

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Virunga Park Again Threatened by Oil

Conservationists had hoped that Virunga National Park has been granted a reprieve after the 2015 withdrawal of the oil company SOCO who had wanted to…

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Oil Exploration in Virunga Park

In 2013, WWF started the campaign "Draw the Line" to stop the British oil company SOCO's explorations for oil in the Virunga National Park, Democratic…

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The Economic Value of Virunga Park

In response to the granting of oil concessions in Virunga National Park (Virunga) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), WWF launched a…

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Searching for Solutions to the Threats to Maiko

[Translate to EN:] Camp von Minenarbeitern an der Grenze des Parks

Conservation in the Maiko National Park (MNP) remains difficult: the intensity of threats to the park has not decreased. It is an enormous challenge…

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Response to Oil Prospecting in Gabon

A hole for the dynamite is prepared. (© Luisa Rabanal)

As the world's oil reserves continue to decline, interest from major petroleum companies in the largely unexploited reserves of African oil increases.…

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