Gold Mining Operation Spreads into Protected Area of Congo
2024-12-20
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1A Chinese-run gold mine in eastern Congo's Ituri province is slowing spreading into an area that many say it should not be operating in at all.
2The area is the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, an endangered World Heritage site.
3Congo's government established the boundaries, or borders, of the reserve around thirty years ago.
4But over the years the boundaries changed.
5These changes permitted the company to operate inside the forest.
6The reserve was already on the endangered list, under threat from conflict and wildlife trafficking.
7Now the quick growth of the Chinese mines threatens to further hurt the forest and the communities living in it.
8Residents and wildlife experts say the mining is polluting the rivers and soil, damaging trees and bringing more humans to the area.
9As a result, illegal hunting has increased.
10Joe Eisen of Rainforest Foundation UK described the situation as "alarming."
11He said that the area is "supposed to be a protected World Heritage Site" that was already at risk.
12Covering more than 13,000 square kilometers, the reserve became a protected place in 1996.
13The area has wide biological diversity and many threatened species.
14These include the okapi, a forest giraffe, for which the reserve is named.
15The reserve holds some 15 percent of the world's remaining 30,000 okapi.
16The reserve is in the Congo Basin rainforest - the world's second-biggest rainforest.
17The rainforest is a major carbon sink.
18Carbon sinks help limit climate change.
19The area also has a large amount of mineral wealth such as gold and diamonds.
20Under Congo's mining rules, mining is barred in protected areas, which includes the reserve.
21Issa Aboubacar, a spokesperson for the Chinese company, Kimia Mining Investment, said the group is operating legally.
22It recently renewed its permits until 2048, government records show.
23Congo's mining registry said the map they are using came from files from the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, or ICCN.
24The ICCN is a government group responsible for supervising Congo's protected areas.
25The mining registry also said it is currently working with the ICCN on changing the boundaries and protecting the park.
26The ICCN told The Associated Press (AP) that in meetings this year with the mining registry, boundary misunderstandings were discussed.
27It also said the first boundaries should be honored.
28A government document from August, seen by AP, said all companies in the Reserve will be closed, including Kimia Mining.
29The document has not been reported until now and is the first admission that the current boundaries are wrong, environmentalists working in Congo say.
30Rights groups in Congo have long said the permits were illegally awarded by the mining ministry based on incorrect maps.
31Eastern Congo has seen violence for many years.
32The Okapi Reserve has seen years of unrest by local militia.
33In 2012, in Epulu town, a local rebel group killed several residents, including two officers of the reserve, and 14 okapis.
34The animals were part of a captive breeding program.
35The reserve has also been threatened by smaller mining activities, including by thousands of Indigenous peoples who live in and around the forest.
36I'm John Russell.
1A Chinese-run gold mine in eastern Congo's Ituri province is slowing spreading into an area that many say it should not be operating in at all. The area is the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, an endangered World Heritage site. 2Congo's government established the boundaries, or borders, of the reserve around thirty years ago. 3But over the years the boundaries changed. These changes permitted the company to operate inside the forest. 4The reserve was already on the endangered list, under threat from conflict and wildlife trafficking. 5An "alarming" situation 6Now the quick growth of the Chinese mines threatens to further hurt the forest and the communities living in it. 7Residents and wildlife experts say the mining is polluting the rivers and soil, damaging trees and bringing more humans to the area. As a result, illegal hunting has increased. 8Joe Eisen of Rainforest Foundation UK described the situation as "alarming." He said that the area is "supposed to be a protected World Heritage Site" that was already at risk. 9Covering more than 13,000 square kilometers, the reserve became a protected place in 1996. The area has wide biological diversity and many threatened species. These include the okapi, a forest giraffe, for which the reserve is named. 10The reserve holds some 15 percent of the world's remaining 30,000 okapi. 11The reserve is in the Congo Basin rainforest - the world's second-biggest rainforest. The rainforest is a major carbon sink. Carbon sinks help limit climate change. The area also has a large amount of mineral wealth such as gold and diamonds. 12Under Congo's mining rules, mining is barred in protected areas, which includes the reserve. 13Issa Aboubacar, a spokesperson for the Chinese company, Kimia Mining Investment, said the group is operating legally. It recently renewed its permits until 2048, government records show. 14Congo's mining registry said the map they are using came from files from the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, or ICCN. The ICCN is a government group responsible for supervising Congo's protected areas. The mining registry also said it is currently working with the ICCN on changing the boundaries and protecting the park. 15The ICCN told The Associated Press (AP) that in meetings this year with the mining registry, boundary misunderstandings were discussed. It also said the first boundaries should be honored. 16A government document from August, seen by AP, said all companies in the Reserve will be closed, including Kimia Mining. 17The document has not been reported until now and is the first admission that the current boundaries are wrong, environmentalists working in Congo say. 18Rights groups in Congo have long said the permits were illegally awarded by the mining ministry based on incorrect maps. 19Changing boundaries and rules 20Eastern Congo has seen violence for many years. The Okapi Reserve has seen years of unrest by local militia. 21In 2012, in Epulu town, a local rebel group killed several residents, including two officers of the reserve, and 14 okapis. The animals were part of a captive breeding program. 22The reserve has also been threatened by smaller mining activities, including by thousands of Indigenous peoples who live in and around the forest. 23I'm John Russell. 24Sam Mednick reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 25_______________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27reserve - n. something set aside for a particular purpose, use, or reason, such as an area of public land 28diversity - n. the condition of having or being composed of differing elements 29alarming - adj. causing people to feel danger or alarm or to be worried or frightened 30resident - n. one who lives in a place