HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s government on Monday banned mining in national parks, one day after reservations were raised over the government’s decision to let two Chinese firms explore for coal in the biggest national park Hwange.
The two Chinese firms got mining rights inside Hwange National Park, some 7 km from a main game viewing area. Local environmentalists and Western diplomats have condemned the decision.
“Mining on areas held by National Parks is banned with immediate effect. Steps are being undertaken to immediately cancel all mining titles held in National Parks,” Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said.
Zimbabwe is home to a vast range of fauna including elephants, lions and rhinos, and the Hwange park is home to more than 40,000 elephants alone. It also has valuable reserves of coal, diamonds, gold, lithium and nickel.
