Oil extraction imperils Africa's Great Lakes

Our colleague Dr Erik Verheyen, along with international researchers working in Africa, has written a letter in the last issue of Science (4 Nov. 2016 - Vol 354 Issue 6312, p 561-562) in order to set the alarm on the threats that currently imperil Africa's Great Lakes.

Release date	23/11/2016
Contributor	mlsusini
Geographical coverage	Africa, DR Congo, Great Lakes region,
Keywords	oil extraction, pollution,

Remote areas previously inaccessible are now being prospected for oil and gas deposits. Virtually unnoticed by the public, such activities are ongoing in the East African Great Lakes region, threatening
these ecosystems famed for their hyper-diverse biota.

Scientists are concerned that the risks associated with the intended exploitation of fossil hydrocarbons in the East African Great Lakes region are seriously underestimated.

They emphasise on the fact that all stakeholders (the local population, regional stakeholders, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and scientists) must cooperate to develop economically and ecologically viable strategies for the region, as is currently being attempted for the Virunga National Park in the DR Congo.

Full article here (subscription only).

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