Help Draw The Line On Oil Exploration In Virunga National Park
Africa’s oldest national park is the Virunga National Park and is a treasure for local communities and for the world at large that is if we can keep the oil companies away according to a new report by Dahlberg that was published recently.
The World Wild Life Fund (WWF) says UK company Soco International plc wants to explore for oil inside Virunga National Park which is also a World Heritage site. As a result the fund has launched the Draw the line campaign which seeks to keep Virunga Park free from oil prospecting.
The WWF commissioned a report authored by independent development advisers Dahlberg titled ‘The Economic Value of Virunga National Park’. The report goes to great lengths to show just how important preservation of the natural world is for all of us and goes as far as to place a monetary value on its importance.
The Dahblerg Report suggests the park which is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could contribute upwards of $1 billion every year if the park is developed with sustainability in mind rather than handing over the park to oil companies seeking to explore for hydrocarbons which can be very damaging.
All told about $400 million a year in revenue can be generated directly from jobs that are created as a result of environmental tourism such as gorilla spotting or forest trekking. Sustainable fishing is another source of income as is hydroelectric power. This mean Virunga National Park could quite conceivably create thousands of jobs so long as its sustainable industries are nurtured and managed.
There are also indirect value derived from the presence of forests which help to regulate the climate and reduce erosion of the soil. There has been much civil and social unrest in the DRC and the park is a source of stability and tranquility that allows society to cohere.
The Dahlberg report argues that the ‘non-use’ value of the National Park is as much as $700 million. Dahlberg arrived at the figure by adding up the value that is placed by people on various aspects of nature regardless of whether they use them, see them or directly benefit from them.
It goes without saying there is tremendous value in knowing that precious natural resources and wild life sanctuary’s with rare animals exist in some part of the world. What’s more important is that future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits as well. If these last bits of the natural world start to be lost as well, we all lose something.
It should come as no surprise the WWF is campaigning against oil companies who want to drill in a park that was really once considered to be strictly off limits. This is not just because of the adverse effects on the park’s wildlife and environment, but because it is going to affect people’s livelihoods. THE DRC sadly has been torn by conflict and revenues from oil exploration is simply just another reason to fire bullets at the enemy.
