There will be no drilling in paradise. Soco International, a British oil company, has abandoned plans to drill for oil in in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The park is a World Heritage Site, and UNESCO says it is Africa鈥檚 richest trove of natural beauty and biodiversity.
Soco will leave in about a month, after completing a seismic survey of the park鈥檚 Lake Edward, where drilling was to have commenced. Tens of thousands of local people depend on the lake for fish, and it is also home to thousands of hippopotamuses. Soco has , and to keep out of all .
The firm was under pressure after an expert report last month on the status of the park. French company Total pulled out last year.
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鈥淭he champagne was flowing on Monday,鈥� says Alona Rivord of WWF, which has long . 鈥淚t鈥檚 very exciting to see another company go in that direction.鈥�
However, the park is still not entirely safe. The DRC government has yet to remove overall permission for oil companies to search and drill for oil. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no active oil threat now, but 85 per cent of the park has concessions covering it, so the next step is to get the DRC鈥檚 government to withdraw them,鈥� says Rivord. The World Heritage Committee , and may put pressure on the government.
Gallery: 鈥�Six natural treasures of Africa鈥檚 Virunga park鈥�
