Safeguarding Africa’s Natural Heritage: The Case of Mining in Protected Areas

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the conflict between extractive industries and the conservation of Protected Areas (PAs) and World Heritage (WH) sites in Africa. It argues for the strict enforcement of 'no-go zones' in WH sites and the implementation of rigorous biodiversity management standards for mining in other PAs to prevent irreversible ecological damage.

• Africa possesses 7,000 registered Protected Areas (PAs), but only 41 of these have achieved UNESCO natural World Heritage (WH) site status.
• African natural World Heritage sites are disproportionately affected by conservation threats; 32% (13 sites) were declared 'in danger' and 23% were listed as being 'of significant concern' according to the WH Outlook 2014.
• The World Heritage Committee maintains that mineral and oil/gas exploration and exploitation, including associated infrastructure, is incompatible with World Heritage status and should not be permitted within these sites.
• Several African natural WH sites face specific threats from extractive industries: Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is exposed to oil prospecting, and the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania has faced proposals for oil, gas, and uranium mining.
• Other African natural WH sites with conflicting mining or oil/gas exploration include the Dja Faunal and Wildlife Reserve in Cameroon, as well as the Comoé National Park and Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve in Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea.
• To maintain its World Heritage status, the government of Botswana withdrew prospecting concessions and committed to not granting further mining or prospecting concessions within the core protected area of the Okavango Delta.
• The author recommends that all extractive activities in WH sites be declared illegal and that 'no-go zones' be implemented at all such sites.
• For mining in PA networks where it is unavoidable, companies should apply a mitigation hierarchy to avoid, minimise, and mitigate impacts, and use biodiversity offsets to achieve zero net loss.

APA

Chevallier, R. (2015). Safeguarding Africa’s Natural Heritage: The Case of Mining in Protected Areas. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Policy-Insights-15.pdf

Chicago

Chevallier, Romy. Safeguarding Africa’s Natural Heritage: The Case of Mining in Protected Areas. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Policy-Insights-15.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chevallier |first1=Romy |title=Safeguarding Africa’s Natural Heritage: The Case of Mining in Protected Areas |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=15 May 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Policy-Insights-15.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chevallier2015safeguarding, author = {Chevallier, Romy}, title = {{Safeguarding Africa’s Natural Heritage: The Case of Mining in Protected Areas}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = may, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Policy-Insights-15.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }