NO TA ON THIS THREAD PLEASE - (edit) and no pointless speculations either!
I've created this thread just to park stuff in that is only tangentially-related to SOCO's interests and doesn't relate to any of the specific assets.
I don't disagree with much of that. However, are their views, and campaign, really either in the best interests of the local population or the environment in this case? There's plenty of evidence that lack of employment opportunities and income have a negative effect on the environment as well as the population (poaching and other illegal activities that harm the environment) so saying no is not as simple an answer as it seems sitting in an armchair in a wealthy part of the world
This is the essential point - and why the WWF campaign gets up my nose.
They are saying, in essence, that park boundaries that are decades old should be left intact without being reconsidered, DESPITE the fact that it has done absolutely nothing for the local population or wildlife. Fuiseog and I both spent 10-15 minutes talking to the WWF person after the AGM and it is clear that the WWF is very well aware that the park is failing (eg the absolute plummeting in the hippo population). Furthermore, they insist on cynically misrepresenting what SOCO's plans are, in order to gain publicity and donations.
We put it to the WWF that the interests of wildlife will be best served by working with SOCO rather than opposing them - mainly because SOCO is more responsible/ethical/considerate than other companies who would (in due time) take it on if SOCO pulled out.
It is not up to an unelected WWF to decide what is best for the DRC and its people. They have no right to deprive them of economic opportunities. If the DRC think there is merit in proposing a redrawing of the park boundaries then they should be perfectly at liberty to propose that, and enter into discussions with the UNESCO World Heritage Committee over the matter.
For some reason (funding?) the WWF seems paranoid about Virunga losing World Heritage Site status if the park boundaries are eroded. Frankly, I think that is ridiculously unlikely, providing that the bulk/core of the park would remain unaffected by any activity - as it would, given that nobody will be going anywhere near the mountains.
The WWF's utopian vision of a tourism based economy must first of all deliver security, otherwise it is a complete non-starter. And then it relies on development of transport links into the park - and accommodation within it. There is no chance of security unless the local populations think it is in their interest to cooperate - and IMO the best way of achieving that to explore a balanced and environmentally-sensitive development of the park for BOTH oil and tourism, because that will offer an improved range of economic chances for the locals.
The fact is that the eastern DRC needs some development and (wholly without any oil company influence) the WWFs attempts to encourage tourism and protect local wildlife have completely failed, because they cannot get the locals to desist from poaching and violence. The DRC Government must try a different approach.
Anyway - I put most of this on the WWF site yesterday......and Fuiseog has made his views known in the other thread. The WWF is IMO a disgraceful pressure group that continues with its cynical misrepresentations in order to raise cash. I would never have believed that to be possible - and (if they only knew what the WWF was up to) I guess most people would be completely shocked. Where are the proper investigative journalists when they are needed?
