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Gold mining threatens world's most infamous reptile, the Komodo dragon Jeremy Hance mongabay.com August 24, 2009
"Komodo dragons live here (and only here) and the national park together with the dragons, coral and fish are integral for what little tourism they get here. The entire community in the state relies on income generated either directly or indirectly from this area," a local source said. "The locals here don’t want the mine but are powerless to stop it. They have attempted a blockade but to no avail."
"I’ve visited the site of the mining company," Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban told the Jakarta Post. "It’s about 20 kilometers from the Komodo National Park, so it won’t damage the park's ecosystem." The head of Komodo National Park, Tamen Sitorus, appears to agree. He was quoted as saying that the mining was far enough away that it "won’t do any harm to the national park yet." He added, however, that if the mines move beyond the exploratory stage then he will be concerned for the islands' marine environment, which locals depend on. "All sediment and waste products are to be washed into the ocean into the current through the national park," Mongabay's local source said. "Also food supply will decrease with the oceans being contaminated with soil and wastes." One of the mining sites has already come under investigation for allegedly violating environmental regulations. Officials visited the Chinese-backed exploratory mine on Batugosok Island saying that the digging began before the approval of an environmental assessment, which if true, would violate China's new environmental guidelines for companies operating overseas. The findings spurred Indonesia’s Environment Minister, Rachmat Witoelar, to say that the mine should be shut-down. "I still need to look more into the report, but we would want it to be closed down," he said.
Many believe that regardless of ecological cost the mines will damage tourism. "The Komodo National Park is a national and international icon. It brings the government an annual revenue of Rp 70 billion [US$7 million]. Mining activities near the park will only ruin the park’s image and diminish the government’s revenue," Dambung Lamuara Djaja, a tourism consultant said. Eighty percent of gold mined in the world is used to make jewelry and much of the mining is done in ecological sensitive areas, such as rainforests. Although it's the headliner, the Komodo dragon is not the only endangered inhabitant of Komodo National Park. Its main source of prey the Timor deer Cervus timorensis is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN as well. In addition, nearly 70 percent of the park is marine environment. Created in 1980 over several islands, the park contains half of the world's Komodo dragons: 2,500 individuals. Related articles Photo: Scientists discover new species of Komodo dragon-like lizard (07/21/2009) German researchers have discovered a new species of monitor lizard in Indonesia using DNA analysis and morphological characteristics. The species, Varanus lirungensis, is described in the Australian Journal of Zoology. Komodo dragons are venomous (05/18/2009) The world's largest lizard relies on venom to weaken and immobilize its prey report researchers writing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Until now it was believed that bacteria resident in the Komodo Dragon's mouth were the source of the reptile's toxicity. Fisherman killed by two Komodo dragons (03/24/2009) Mohamad Anwar, 32, was killed by two Komodo dragons after trespassing in Komodo National Park in order to gather fruit according to CNN. SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
Tags: reptiles endangered species lizards herps gold mining mining jeremy hance environment green saving species from extinction indonesia Environmental Law animals china's demand for resources china conservation environmental politics law protected areas wildlife
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