UK's Government Goes Against Oil Exploration in Congo's Virunga National Park

SOCO International, a London-based oil company, now wishes to begin oil exploration in the Virunga National Park, a World Heritage Site found in the Republic of Congo.

One would expect that environmentalists and conservationists would be the ones to take the lead when it comes to sorting out this problem, yet recent news on this topic informs us that the UK government also decided to take a stand in order to help protect this wildlife refuge.

Thus, the British foreign office stated loud and clear that they firmly opposed the expansion of the oil industry in that part of the world.

Moreover, they asked both SOCO International and the Democratic Republic of Congo to bear in mind that they both had to abide by international environmental protection standards and not engage in or allow oil exploration to take place in that region.

Apparently, the main drive behind their wanting to safeguard the Virunga National Park has to do with the fact that the latter is listed by UNESCO as being endangered.

The World Wildlife Fund informs us that the UK's government's official statement on this matter read as follows: “Foreign investment in sectors such as hydrocarbons and the extractive industries can play a vital role in boosting the development of DRC [i.e. the Democratic Republic of Congo], lifting people out of poverty.”

However, one must not forget that, “Such investment needs to be done responsibly and sustainably, in compliance with local law and conforming to international standards.”

Although the legislation currently in place in the Democratic Republic of Congo does not approve of such activities being carried out in the country's national parks, Crispin Atama Tabe (i.e. DRC's Minister of Hydrocarbon) emphasized that laws could easily be reviewed and that this country had a right to know what resources its lands held.

Furthermore, “We're going to evaluate the quantity of the deposit. If it's very significant we'll compare the value of the park with the oil... We'll see whether we'll respect the park or not. It's up to us.”