The Water Hole

Category: Uncategorized | Date: Jun 30 2008 | By: thewaterhole

Let me first thank Sheryl and Louise for their comments. You are both right that ‘the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing’. It is disturbing to see that the Kenya government has ignored some very informed protests and have refused to learn from examples in other countries - such as the one mentioned by Sheryl. Clearly, we have seen the developed countries use up their natural resources only to realize their mistakes and try to repair the damage. Should the developing world follow this route? My guess is NO. We cant make the same mistake while all the warning signs are in the open for all to see.

Speaking of which, environmental lobbyists haven’t given up. As I said in my previous post, the conservationists held a press conference last Wednessday (25 June 2008) and there was resounding response from the major local and some international media houses.

I recieved today an email from one of the organizers of the conference, Serah Munguti of Nature Kenya, and I thought it wise to share important information contained in it with you.

The following publicity resulted from the Press conference held yesterday:

National electronic coverage on Wednesday 25^th June 2008:

• NTV 7 O’clock news;
• KTN 9 O’clock Business news;
• KBC 9 O’clock Business news;
• Citizen TV 9 O’clock Business News;
• KBC 11 O’clock late night news;
• Citizen 11 O’clock late night news;
• Kiss FM 7pm news bulletin;
• Kiss FM 8pm news bulletin;
• Classic FM 7pm news bulletin;
• Classic FM 8pm news bulletin

Print media coverage 26 June 2008:

• The Standard page 27;
• Business Daily page 7;
• Nairobi Star page 12

In addition to this extensive coverage on the local print and electronic media the following action has also beeen taken

• Wetlands International issued a press release calling on the Kenya Government to reverse its decision on the Sugar plantation project in the Tana Wetlands.
• Pollmans Tours & Safaris , a national tour operator, has send concerns (documents) to Robert Hepworth of the UN Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals-African, European and West Asian waterbirds programme (CMS/AEWA) for action. He will also engage the tourism industry through the Kenya Association of Tour Operators to mobilize action against TISP.
• Nature Kenya and the BirdLife Africa Partnership are putting together an international petition from BirdLife Africa Partners from 22 countries on the basis of the international significance of the Tana River Delta Important Bird Area.
• A Rocha Kenya has also set up a Tana River Delta website, http://tanariverdelta.org/tana/welcome.html. for those who have information that they wish to share in this campaign (for this website) you can contact colin.jackson@arocha.org or to advocacy@naturekenya.org

The way forward
The conveners of this press conference have resolved to:

• Carry out in-depth media interviews and write opinion articles for media
• Engage international development agencies and foreign missions and embassies in Kenya
• Engage the EU market that buys 40% of Mumias sugar
• Engage indigenous peoples organisations to protest against the human rights issues of TISP

For the Record
Mumias Sugar Company (MSC) Ltd. and Tana and Athi River Development Authority (TARDA), in a planned private joint venture, are proposing to turn 20,000 hectares of the mostly pristine Tana River Delta into sugarcane plantations. The main features of the Tana Integrated Sugar Project (TISP) are: 16,000 ha of irrigated sugarcane production through estate; 4,000 ha of outgrower systems; water supply to the project; a sugar factory and power co-generation facility of up to 34 megawatts capacity; an ethanol production plant; and livestock supporting activities, including fisheries. On 11 June 2008 Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) approved the project’s EIA. Environmental organisations are opposed to NEMA’s decision citing the impact of the project on the Tana Delta’s ecology, biodiversity and local people’s livelihoods.

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Apr 30 2008 | By: admin

In my previous post, I mentioned that the National Environmental Management Agency (NEMA) would hold three public hearings in the Tana Delta to present the outcome of the review of comments made by the public on the EIA report of the Tana Intergrated Sugar Project (TISP). Well, on yeaterday’s (29 March 2008) Daily Nation newspaper, they finally announced the dates for these public hearing meetings.

The meetings will be held between 6-8 May 2008 in three villages in both Tana River and Lamu Districts. On 6 May 2008, NEMA will hold the meeting at the Danisa Village Grounds in Tana River District; on 7 May (Wednessday) they will be at Golbanti Village Grounds also in Tana River; and finally they will be at Witu Shopping Centre (Lamu) on 8 May (Thursday). All meetings are scheduled to start at 10:00 am.

According to the notice, NEMA has invited members of the public and interested stakeholders to give their views on the proposed project (TISP). It is expected that these meetings will be stormy given the polarized state in which the communities are regarding the project at this time.

EAWLS calls on all who are near the area - or anyone who can get there by any means - to get there and make his/her voice heard. We do not want to lose the Delta. We hope to send down a team to add their voice on these dates. We therefore call on you to support our efforts by donating through this blog.

Let us save the Tana Delta.

Here is the notice

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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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