14 DAY TRIAL // An online petition started by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF, for short) is now asking that ordinary folks help kick oil and gas giant Soco International PLC out of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park.
This region is currently listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, the UK-based company has been granted permission to explore the area. More precisely, Soco International has been allowed to carry out seismic testing on the national park's Lake Edward.
People living in its proximity fear that these seismic tests will end up polluting Lake Edward, and that the oil and gas company will limit their access to this fish and freshwater source.
“The lake provides fish and freshwater to 50,000 nearby residents. Fishermen and their families fear that they will be restricted from the lake or that it could become polluted,” the WWF writes on its website.
The organization further details that, since the Virunga National Park is considered a World Heritage Site, activities such as drilling for oil are strictly forbidden within its limits.
Apparently, the only reason the UK-based Soco International PLC has been given permission to implement oil exploration projects in the area was because the company claimed that its interests in the region were purely scientific.
The WWF and activists in the Democratic Republic of Congo are now worried about the fact that, in the not so distant future, the oil and gas company will quit merely exploring the Virunga National Park and switch to exploiting it.
“Under DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] law, activities that could damage national parks, like oil and mining, are prohibited. Currently, Soco is exploiting a legal loophole that allows for scientific activities, but more invasive exploration activities appear to be imminent,” the WWF warns.
Since Soco International first announced its plans to carry out oil exploration in this part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, both the UK government and the World Heritage Committee have demanded that the company not be allowed to move forward with its plans for this wildlife refuge.
The WWF's petition against oil exploration in the Virunga National Park has thus far collected nearly 550,000 signatures.