Troubled firm aims to mine Madagascar forest for rare earth elements : Conservation news
▻https://news.mongabay.com/2017/08/troubled-firm-aims-to-mine-madagascar-forest-for-rare-earth-elements
Solondraza, a 63-year-old farmer in northwestern Madagascar, has led a mostly conflict-free life. He and his wife live in a small house made of ravinala, a type of palm tree that fans out across the hilly landscape. They earn a living on cash crops like vanilla and cacao that grow well in the tropical environs, and this has allowed them to support their 18 children and 54 grandchildren, most of whom still live in and around their village of Befitina.
But in recent years Solondraza has become something of an activist, organizing meetings and rallying neighbors. He wants to stop a foreign-owned company, Tantalum Rare Earth Malagasy (TREM), from mining his land for rare earth elements.
“Our ancestors survived here by living off of the land,” Solondraza said. “If TREM comes here to destroy that harmony, I fear for my children’s future. We do not want TREM and we do not need them.”
#Madagascar #terres_rares #extraction_minière #terres #environnement