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Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,085 posts)
Thu Sep 10, 2020, 07:55 PM Sep 2020

Zimbabwe bans mining in safari parks, activists want new law

Environmental and biodiversity experts in Zimbabwe are demanding president Emerson Mnangagwa’s government put into law a new policy position banning mining in game reserves after the approval of two Chinese companies to explore for coal in the Hwange National Park sparked global outrage.

The government has now said it is taking measures to “immediately cancel all mining titles held in National Parks” around the country but campaigners are not buying the sincerity of government on this until it is signed into law

Zimbabwe’s vast wildlife, unique vegetation, and eye-catching landscapes are a key attraction for tourists whom authorities are hoping to shore up the country’s foreign currency coffers when international flights—which have been on hold due to the global pandemic—resume at the beginning of next month. Tourism earnings help fund wildlife conservation programs in Zimbabwe.

After the government approved special grants for two Chinese coal mining companies to explore for coal in the vast Hwange National Park, it emerged there are more mining activities happening in other national parks. This has angered conservationists and campaigners for a safe Zimbabwe environment, who are now demanding that the government put into law its new policy stipulating that “mining on areas held by National Parks is banned with immediate effect,” as agreed by Mnangagwa’s cabinet on Sept. 8.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/zimbabwe-bans-mining-in-safari-parks-activists-want-new-law/ar-BB18UJ1E?li=BBnb7Kz

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