The Water Hole

Category: Flamingo, Lake Natron, Wetlands, Wildlife | Date: Jul 17 2008 | By: thewaterhole

I just received a press statement from the Ken Mwathe of the Lake Natron Consultative Group which has been protesting against the soda ash plant in this important Laser Flamingo breeding site. The press statement, which is date 10 July 2008, protests against the decision made by the National Development Corporation (NDC) of Tanzania that the project would proceed as it had been designed despite Tata Chemical’s announcement that they would await a Ramsar Management Plan being developed for Lake Natron. The LNCG also faults the statement made by NDC on the basis that the NDC is a partner in the project and it cannot make the decision to proceed with the project according to the Tanzanian law, which makes this decision illegal. The LNCG has also defended itself against the NDC’s accusations that LNCG was behind the problems the project is currently facing. They lay the blame on the NDC for failing to advice the government on proper procedure. There are other concerns and they are reproduced here below by request of Mr Mwathe.

Read on.

LAKE NATRON CONSULTATIVE GROUP

Press Statement

Nairobi, 10th July 2008

THE GROUP FAULTS NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION’S POSITION
OVER THE PROPOSED LAKE NATRON SODA ASH PROJECT

The Lake Natron Consultative Group (The Group) takes note of the statement by the
National Development Corporation (NDC), the co-investor with Tata Chemicals Ltd
(TLC), insisting that the Lake Natron Soda Ash Project will go ahead.

We also take note of the statement that The Group is responsible for the woes now
facing the soda ash project, especially what NDC termed “negative publicity”.

Further, the assertion that NDC is concerned about the environment and has
responded by shifting the project site (32 kms away) and commissioned a new
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Integrated Management
Planning process for the Ramsar site, is taken note of. NDC’s statement also stated that
the soda ash project will not harm the lesser flamingos, the local people and
biodiversity in general.

The Group’s Response

The Lake Natron Consultative Group would like to state as follows:

a. The statement by NDC goes counter to the recent announcement by Tata
Chemicals Ltd that it has withdrawn the project as originally conceptualized.
Quoted in The Hindustan Times of India, the TCL Managing Director Mr Homi
Khusrokhan said:

“The Company is not in a position to take a view with regard to
resumption ‘till it has a chance to examine the final approved Ramsar
Management Plan currently under preparation for Lake Natron.” The
Hindustan Times story titled Green Groups halt Tata Plant in
Tanzania also quoted Mr Khusrokhan saying, “…the original
Environment and Social Impact Assessment…..should be treated as
withdrawn)

It would appear that the NDC issued the statement on its own behalf and not on
behalf of TCL. So, is the NDC on its own?

b. The NDC is not in a position to determine the fate of the proposed project since it is
also a player in the process. According to Tanzanian laws, the Minister for
Environment in the Vice President’s Office has the final word. So far, Hon Dr
Batilda Buriani has demonstrated fairness and objectivity with regard to this issue
and we highly commend her for this.

c. The woes now facing the proposed soda ash project are largely attributable to
NDC. As a government agency working with Tata Chemicals Ltd, the NDC failed to
advice the government on the need to follow the due process as prescribed by
Tanzanian laws. AT the same time NDC failed to defend the soda ash project in all
the stakeholder meetings held to discuss the issue.

NDC did not insist that all the necessary information and data (such as feasibility
and cost-benefit analysis) be in place before coming out in public on the project.
The result was the disaster that was the Environmental and Social Impact
Assessment (ESIA) report, which was faulted by the Technical Advisory Committee
of the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) on 2nd November
2007 and was overwhelmingly rejected during the public hearing on 23rd January
2008. Stakeholders further rejected the project during the Ramsar Advisory
Mission (RAM) in February and the World Bank meeting on 30th April 2008 in Dar
es Salaam.

d. The NDC did not demand that an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for the
Ramsar site be developed before floating the soda ash proposal. This contravened
the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance of which
Tanzania is a signatory. Instead, the investor decided to put the cart before the
horse.

To be credited, however, is the new Minister for Environment (Hon Dr Batilda
Burhani) who issued an order on 1st May 2008 that no further project processes
touching on the soda ash project will be allowed until the Integrated
Management Plan for Lake Natron is developed and approved. It is therefore
belated for NDC to state that it would ensure that an IMP is done.

e. The statement by NDC on the impacts of the proposed project are contrary a
document developed by its own consultants. The ESIA Report explains in detail the
negative social and ecological impacts of the project, which include impacts on
flamingos, impacts on pastoral livelihoods, tourism and pressure on natural
resources (including firewood and water). It also mentions positive impacts among
them 150 permanent jobs and 2,000 casual ones and “millions of US dollars” to the
Tanzanian economy. The new “perspectives” on these issues by NDC are therefore
not tenable unless backed by new studies.

f. Strong opposition to the soda ash project has come from Tanzanians of all walks of
life, professionals and the donor community. In addition, local communities at
Pinyiny, Ngare Sero, Matali, Gelai, Kitumbeine and other villages around Lake
Natron have said “No”.

These local people are not environmentalists but poor people who are worried
about the negative impacts of the project on their sources of livelihoods (e.g
ecotourism, pastoralism). They are also worried about being displaced from their
land and a trampling of their rights. The claim that so many million US $ will be
pumped to the national economy has little relevance to the local people.

g. The Group has stated before that shifting the factory site 32 kms away does not
necessarily mitigate the negative impacts of the proposed project. If anything, it is
likely to spread the impacts over a wider area thus leaving a huge ecological
footprint on the landscape. Critically important, the raw material will still be
removed from Lake Natron using a complex grid of pipes and pumps. The
negative impacts on the Lesser Flamingos and other forms of biodiversity that
depend on the lake are therefore not likely to change.

h. Finally, The Group would not to like to see the Kenyan soda ash mining experience
replayed in Tanzania. In spite of being in operation for over 100 years, soda ash
mining at Lake Magadi in Kenya has not benefited the local community.
Government reports (CBS 2003) show that Magadi Division is one of the poorest in
Kajiado District and in the country, in spite of the massive investment by Magadi
Soda Company (which has now been acquired by Tata Chemicals Ltd).

To the contrary, the Magadi Soda ash project has caused displacement of local
communities from their land, environmental degradation, poor health and now an
acute shortage of fresh water after the construction of the second plant. Until
recently, the company paid 10 Kenyan cents for 1 tonne of the soda ash raw
material (1 US $ = 60 Ksh and 1 Ksh = 100 cents). This was reviewed to Ksh 26 per
tonne in a new land lease that was opposed by the local community but extended
by the government in controversial circumstances

i. As The Group, we shall continue to engage in a debate founded on facts
regarding this issue. We owe it to the local community, the global community and
future generations to ensure that the resources at Lake Natron are not jeopardised
by development that is not sustainable. Tata Chemicals Ltd seems to be in
agreement with this. We now ask the National Development Corporation to do
the same.

In conclusion, The Group would like to urge the Minister of natural Resources and
Tourism and the Minister of Environment in Tanzania, to ensure that no further
processes related to the proposed soda ash project are undertaken before the
Integrated Management Plan for the Lake Natron Ramsar site is completed.

The plan should be preceded by detailed studies, including the ecology and
breeding behaviour of the lesser flamingos and cost benefit analysis.

ENDS

For more details contact:

Ken Mwathe
Coordinator, Lake Natron Consultative Group

BirdLife International,
Africa Partnership Secretariat,
ICIPE Campus, Kasarani Road,
P.O Box 3502 – 00100 Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: +254 20 8562246/8562490
Fax +254 20 8562259
Office cell +254 734 600905 or +254 722 200238
Personal Cell +254 733 926191

LAKE NATRON CONSULTATIVE GROUP INSTITUTIONS

1. East African Wildlife Society (EAWLS) www.eawildlife.org
2. Nature Kenya www.naturekenya.org
3. BirdLife Africa Partnership Secretariat www.birdlife.org
4. African Conservation Centre (ACC) www.conservationafrica.org
5. Youth For Conservation www.youthforconservation.org
6. South Rift Association of Landowners (SORALO)
7. Kenya Wetlands Forum (KWF) www.eawildlife.org
8. Centre for Minority Rights Development (CEMIRIDE)
www.cemiride.info
9. Kenya Community Based Tourism Network (KECOBAT)
10. Environmental Liaison Centre International (ELCI) www.elci.org
11. Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Law (CREEL)
12. Wildlife Clubs of Kenya (WCK) www.wildlifeclubskenya.wildlifedirect.org
13. Ethiopia Wildlife and Natural History Society (EWNHS)
14. Born Free Foundation www.bornfree.org
15. Uganda Wildlife Society
16. Nature Uganda www.natureuganda.org
17. Lawyers Environmental Action Team (LEAT), Tanzania www.leat.or.tz
18. Forum for Environment (Ethiopia) www.ffe-ethiopia.org
19. Horn of Africa - Regional Environment Centre/Network, Addis
Ababa University, Ethiopia www.hoarec.org
20. Djibouti Nature www.hobotraveler.com/na_djibouti-nature.php
21. The Heritage Society www.heritagesociety.org
22. Game Rangers Association of Africa www.gameranger.org
23. Maa Civil Society Forum
24. Lake Naivasha Riparian Association www.lakenaivasha.org
25. American Council For Wildlife Preservation
26. PIBI Biological Research Foundation
27. Kenya Alliance of Residents Association www.kara.or.ke
28. Kenya Water and Sanitation Network (KEWASNET)
29. Ecotourism Kenya www.ecotourismkenya.org
30. Ilkisongo Pastoralist Initiatives (IPI), Monduli & Longido Tanzania
31. Journalists Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET)
32. Miliru-Bushi Organization Kenya (MIBOK)
33. Wildlife for Sustainable Development, Ethiopia

4

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Category: Birds, Flamingo, IBAs, Lake Natron, Wetlands, Wildlife | Date: May 06 2008 | By: admin

We may have seen what resembles a lull in the activities relating to the soda ash project at Lake Natron but there is no justification whatsoever for us to take a nap. The Lake Natron Consultative Group (LNCG) has not taken the nap and they literrally have their eyes peeled.

Just today I got an article by the Reuters news agencies which said that they National Development Corporation (NDC) still believes that the project will not harm the flamingos. This, they say, is because they have moved the proposed processing site to some 36 km away from the Lake. I dont know how this would help since the issue of concern for flamingos is the water quality and how it affects the micro-organisms that they feed on. But the NDC says that “By locating the factory away from the lake, we are going to make sure that we can co-exist with the flamingos,”.

The LNCG is very disturbed that Tata and NDC are still planning to go ahead with the project. I think you should read the article for youself. Just follow this link

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Category: Lake Natron, Wetlands, Wildlife | Date: Mar 31 2008 | By: admin

After the scare that the Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) could lose its only successful breeding site in East Africa, Lake Natron, it is a welcome gesture that the government of Kenya is finalizing a Species Action Plan (SAP) for this near-threatened (as per the IUCN Red List) bird, and that this plan is being done according to international guidelines.

How do I know this? Well, I spent last Wednesday and Thursday ‘embedded’ with the technical team that is working on producing this SAP. The two day meeting that I was attending was held at Merica Hotel in Nakuru, just a stone’s throw from the lake that has been made famous by the thousands of flamingos that feed there throughout the year - Lake Nakuru - providing an ambience befitting such a discussion.

The purpose of this meeting was to iron out some pending issues and adopt the draft plan after some changes. This - technically - happened and the plan adopted ‘pending suggested revisions’. In short, the plan is not ready yet but once the technical team sit together again, all they will need to do is to incorporate the changes that were suggested during this meeting.

So why does the Lesser Flamingo need an action plan? This spectacular bird of much ecological and economic value is already classified as Near-Threatened by the IUCN and - despite being the most numerous flamingo species on earth - it is likely to precipitate into the Threatened Species list in a time not so far away from the present. In Kenya, where the bird is largely confined to the Rift Valley soda lakes, the population fluctuates between 279,620 and 1,453,513 (estimates done annually in January).

While in Kenya, these migratory birds are threatened largely by degradation of their very specialized habitat by hydrology and water quality changes (changes in salts concentration in water affects the abundance of their food - microscopic cyanobacteria [algae] and lake bottom diatoms only found in alkaline lakes, saline lagoons and estuaries). This is the most critical threat and largely man-made.

Other threats of high importance, and which the Action Plan is treating with priority, include poisoning (by cyanobacteria toxins) and infectious diseases (such as avian cholera). There are of course other threats - albeit of lower importance but nevertheless significant - including salt extraction and the disturbance of breeding colonies by human activities. These two threats should make you remember the Lake Natron saga. Minor threats include predation, competition with other species for food, human disturbance of non-breeding populations among others.

The SAP is a 10-year plan that will be reviewed regularly over its term. It envisions the long-term survival of the East African population of the birds and contribute towards improving to the conservation status of the global population. specifically it aims at stabilizing the population size and contribute to consistency in distribution.

According to the plan, to get to this state of improved conservation status, Kenya will maintain all key sites in good ecological conditions, stop destruction key non-breeding sites and in sites where the birds have traditionally bred or attempted to breed, reducing the impact of poisoning and disease, creating a flamingo conservation network, and increasing the knowledge available on flamingo ecology (numbers, threats, values, and causes of die-offs).

The technical team is optimistic that this plan will harmonize ongoing conservation actions for this bird and constitute an effective domestication of the International Single Species Action Plan already developed.

The Water Hole hopes that regional issues that also affect the conservation of the flamingo in Kenya, such as the Lake Natron soda extraction project, will be effectively addressed through cooperation between Kenyan other governments in East Africa. It should be remembered that East Africa is home to the largest (75%) of the four recognized Lesser Flamingo populations of the world and hence the most important for conservation.

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Category: Donations, Lake Natron, Wetlands | Date: Nov 17 2007 | By: admin

Yesterday, Charles T made the world record by becoming the first person in the whole wide world to donate to the Water Hole. I am very delighted. May I take this opportunity to thank you Charles, your donation will assist us in our advocacy campaigns to ensure that the governments of East Africa do not destroy our environment and that they will respect nature. Charles’s gesture should encourage all of you out there to give to our campaigns.

And speaking of campaigns, Dipesh just found links with useful information about the Lake Natron soda ash project. The first link is to a page in the Environmental Liaison Center International (ELCI) website that contains a PDF document with the concerns of the Lake Natron Consultative Group. You will find the LNCG Concerns here.

the second link is like an answer to the first one. This link takes us to a statement by the Tata Chemicals of India. Tata Chemicals and the National Development Corporation (NDC) formed the Lake Natron Resources Limited specifically to extract the soda ash from Lake Natron. Go to the Tata Statement

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Category: Lake Natron, Legislation, Wetlands | Date: Nov 14 2007 | By: admin

Inasmuch as the Lake Natron soda ash project has been suspended, with Tanzania’s Lake Natron Resources Limited (LNRL) being asked to do a more comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), we are not out of the woods yet. So once again I repeat: don’t pop the champagne.

I received this morning the regular update from the Lake Natron Consultative Group (now housed at the Birdlife Africa Partnership Secretariat in Nairobi), that has clarified some points.

The National Environmental Management Council’s (NEMC) rejection of the presented ESIA is no reason to go ahead and throw a party. Why do I say that? Simple. The Tanzanian legislation gives NEMC two options when an inadequate ESIA is brought to them.

One, they can officially (in writing) instruct the project proponent, in this case the Tata (of India) -owned LNRL, to do a proper ESIA. We don’t yet know whether they have done that. Two, they can recommend to the Minister of Environment their decision to have the ESIA repeated and the minister would order that to be done.

Now, given the political nature the project has assumed, the second scenario is most likely to occur. However - and here is where the catch is - the minister is under no obligation to abide by NEMC’s recommendations. He can give a project approval certificate with conditions. Politically, this is what he is most likely to do.

Conservationists are jittery in the face of a recent announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office in the regional paper The East African of last week saying that the project would go on. What is more worrying is that the Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa, represents the constituency in which Lake Natron is located. It is likely that he would - as a way of furthering his popularity for the next polls in a few years - want to be credited with bringing ‘development’ to his constituents and thus pressure the environment minister to give the go ahead certificate.

Perhaps to give us a tad of hope, we should be encouraged to learn that apart from international donors, international conservation organisations, Kenyan and Ugandan NGOs and Tanzanian conservationists, other countries in the region have also thrown their weight behind the protest. Ethiopia is a new entrant in the fray. Together with Uganda their main concern is that the project will hurt their tourism industry real bad.

Only such continued international, regional and local advocacy can save the Lake.

You can see the scary page that Tanzania’s National Development Corporation has had for a while now promoting the project here.

I would like to thank all those who visit this blog for these updates - especially those who leave comments. Specifically, again, I thank Lisa who has provided me with the motivation to always want to put in a new post. It is good to know that you enjoyed my post about Daphne and her art. Thank you.

Technorati : Tanzania, wetlands, wildlife

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Category: Lake Natron, Wetlands | Date: Nov 09 2007 | By: admin

Friends, I told you that the threat to flamingos has been suspended in my previous post: Respite for the Pinks!. These news have been recieved well by all who have heared. We still need to keep the Tanzania Government in check as this is not final. I am also informed that the government has issued concessions for oil prospecting and one of the sites - like I said - is in Lake Natron Area. I will keep you informed of this development as the news come along. In the meantime, please see how Birdlife International announced the great news. just click on the picture

The flamingos are free to breed…for now [picture (c) Owen Newman/Naturepl.com]

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Category: Lake Natron, Wetlands, Wildlife | Date: Nov 04 2007 | By: admin

Its good news everyone! The Tanzania Government on Friday, 2 November 2007, told the Lake Natron Resources Limited (LNRL) to go back to the drawing board and bring back a more comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment report. This shows that the government has been listening to all the noise that conservationists have been making. We should keep on with the pressure and the government will definitely let the flamingoes go.

What should make us more confident of winning this battle - for the flamingos and the people of Lake Natron - is that the government also asked the LNRL to go look for soda ash elsewhere. I suspect that the government is looking for an exit strategy: a more dignified way to say ‘we lost’. Well, if it benefits the flamingos, wildlife and the local villagers, then so be it.

Lake Natron Resources Ltd staged their own downfall by trying to sneak in their proposal without following due process. Mr Hadley Becha, EAWLS Deputy Director and Head of Conservation Programmes, was part of the Lake Natron Consultative Group that was invited to the first ‘preliminary’ presentation of the EIA and he observed - and vehemently questioned - the gross omissions that were blatantly visible in the report. He pointed out, for instance, that there had been no cross border consultations despite the Lake Natron waters being depended upon by the Maasai community accross the boarder in Kenya; international and regional environmental treaties (such as the East African Community treaty, Ramsar Convention, Migratory Birds treaty and so on) were ignored; although the EIA covered the flamingos breeding site, no attention was paid to the overall ecosystem; and, most importantly, the local community was not asked what they wanted. The EIA was doomed to fall short of any standards.

Campaigns to nip the development at the bud continued though and more conservation organizations joined in (e.g. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) for we know that it is not unusual for a flimsy EIA process to carry the day with the ‘right’ connections in the corridors of political power. We know that, essentially, development is a political process.

Now that the ‘development’ is suspended, we should not pop the Champaign yet. The EAWLS will revise its strategy and lobby for the final end to this travesty and we hope that you will all stand by us. We will ask our Director, Mr Ali Kaka - a seasoned campaigner for nature - to be the voice of our campaign. We should drive the government with pitchforks until it lets the flamingos live free and reproduce at Lake Natron - as they have done for the last 45 years.

I thank all of you who posted comments on my previous post: Dipesh, Ann, Paula, Sheryl, Louise, Antonio, Bruno and of course Lisa. Thank you all. I am blogging on a Sunday (in the office!) because of all of you - and the wildlife of East Africa). Thank you for your support.

With your support we can bring down Armageddon!

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Category: Lake Natron, Wetlands | Date: Nov 02 2007 | By: admin

Today (2 November 2007) the fate of 2.5 million Lesser Flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor) hangs in the balance. It is today that the National Environmental Management Council of the Republic of Tanzania is presenting the results of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment study on Lake Natron to its Government. Will it be a good day for Natron or is it the end of the ‘flamingo factory’ as we know it? Is it Armageddon for the graceful pink birds? We can only wait and see. We have signed the petition. We have lobbied the government bodies and all that are concerned. Now we sit with bated breath. Will they say no to development and yes to preservation of the natural heritage?

Why Armageddon? Because unfolding events suggest doom for the beautiful lake. Those in the know are anticipating that the NEMC might recommend a go ahead for the soda ash project. We are hoping that reason will prevail over partisan and short-term gains. As the EAWLS Wetlands Programme Coordinator, Peter Odhiambo pointed out in his comment on an earlier post in this blog, “Going by the past and unfolding events, we don’t expect the recommendation to be negative on the [soda ash] project”.

The most saddening part of the whole murky scenario is that the Tanzanian Government has just published requests for bids for 6 oil mining concessions; one of the areas, sadly, is Lake Natron.

The Lake Natron Consultative Group (LNCG), which has been at the forefront in lobbying the Tanzanian government to shelve the project, has prepared a letter to send to the country’s Environment Minister (apart from the petition that some of you have already signed). We don’t know how this will influence Minister Mark Mwandosya’s decision.

After today’s “Technical Committee” meeting the NEMC will hold a public hearing meeting at an unspecified date, where members of the public will be invited to comment on the EIA report. Others of course are skeptical. It is only a few days ago that the Lawyers’ Environmental Action Team (LEAT) of Tanzania requested to attend a meeting on the project at NEMC offices and were turned away. “It is an internal meeting”, they were told. We are anxiously awaiting the outcome of today’s meeting and for the communication of the public hearing date.

We shall update you as soon as we get the 411.

See a Birdlife International press release on the subject here

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Category: Lake Jipe, Lake Natron, Wetlands | Date: Oct 27 2007 | By: admin

Today I just want to thank all of you who’ve joined in the ‘fray’ to save my two favourite lakes (Natron and Jipe). I thought I was the only person who cared about these important community resources. Well…I was wrong.

Where do I start…

Dipesh is intent on discussing ways of getting involved in saving Lake Jipe. I believe that he can rally the private sector - especially the tourism industry - to contribute to this noble cause. And what do you know…Raphael Omondi turns up and offers technical and community mobilization expertise towards this goal. Raphael was the EAWLS Project Officer for the GTZ- and later UNDP-funded Lake Jipe conservation projects cluster. Dipesh and Raphael - it turns out - already know each other. May I suggest that they meet up with the current officer Moses Ziro and come up with a workable arrangement. The people of Lake Jipe need your help to recover this vital resource that they have depended on for generations.

There is someone who is doing something for the beautiful Lake Natron. F J Pechir signed the petition and sent all his friends and colleagues trooping to the petition page. Do I admire this person or what! Keep up the good work Pechir. We can’t forget to thank our friend Lisa…

Friends, the battle is still on. Let us fight for these Lakes with all we’ve got.

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Category: Lake Natron, Uncategorized, Wetlands, Wildlife | Date: Oct 19 2007 | By: admin

Many of you have asked where the petition for protesting the proposed Lake Natron soda ash project is. If you read that post, you will see that the petition that I said is online is one that is organised by the Lake Natron Consultative Forum (LNCF). This petition is hosted in the Youth for Conservation (YFC) website and links to it are spread out in many other websites. The direct link to the petition signing page, however, is Lake Natron Petition which leads you to a form in the YFC website. YFC is a member of the LNCF.

For the sake of clarity, I would like to point out that the petition signed by the Birdlife Partners was a way of adding their voice to the ongoing protest and as Lisa of Atlanta found out you cannot sign that one. You can however view the petition that the Birdlife partners signed from the Birdlife Petition PDF

Do not despair however as the LNCF petition is open to all.I hope you will all go there and sign it.

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