Google – AFP, 7 October 2013
 |
This photo
take on June 17, 2012, shows an infant mountain gorillas at the
Virunga
National Park (AFP/File, Aude Genet)
|
Paris —
Environmental campaigners WWF filed a complaint on Monday against a British oil
company accused of intimidating the local population and endangering wildlife
in the oldest nature reserve in Africa.
The
wildlife charity claims that Soco International's oil exploration activities in
and around Virunga National Park in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo put
"people, animals and habitats at risk" and violate international
guidelines issued by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD), in a complaint to that organisation.
"The
only way for Soco to come into compliance with the OECD guidelines is for the
company to end all exploration in Virunga for good," said Lasse
Gustavsson, executive director of conservation at WWF International.
"We
urge the company to stop its activities immediately," he said.
Organisations
can refer to OECD guidelines on ethical corporate behaviour as a way of piling
pressure on companies or even governments.
Soco
dismissed the claims as "baseless" on its website, adding it had not
yet begun any operational activity and would not do so until impact studies had
been completed.
Virunga is
one of the world's oldest UN World Heritage sites and is the most
environmentally diverse area on the African continent, home to thousands of
rhinos and 200 endangered mountain gorillas.
Soco's own
assessment of its exploration of the park warns of potential pollution and
damage to the fragile animal habitats in Virunga.
The WWF
alleges that Soco has used state security to intimidate opponents to its
business and says the organisation failed to disclose the true impact of
development during consultations with local villagers.
Soco's
contract with the Congolese government effectively exempts it from further
regulation, the WWF says, calling on the company to also consider the health
and livelihoods of 50,000 local residents.
The UK is a
founding member of the OECD and the organisation's guidelines have previously
been used to put political pressure on the British government.
Anthony
Field, a campaigner at WWF-UK, told AFP: "OECD guidelines are the most
well-respected standards of good practice for businesses, and are
internationally recognised by 45 countries including the UK."
OECD
complaints could be "incredibly effective", Field said, giving the
example of a 2009 case when mining firm Vedanta Resources was condemned by
London for failing to respect the rights of an indigenous group when planning a
bauxite mine in the Indian state of Orissa.
Soco said
its first environmental impact studies were conducted in "close
collaboration" with the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation, which
manages the park.
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