In the pristine coastline of Grand Terre, the main island of New Caledonia, Indigenous Kanak people are adamant that a mine waste pipeline will not pollute their unique coastline, home to whale birthing sites, traditional fishing grounds, and unique geological formations including an underwater ‘cathedral’, the Prony needle,
Local indigenous populations have previously blockaded the mine road and destroyed company property in efforts to protect their own environments and resources from the company’s proposed activities. These efforts to prevent mine waste being dumped into the marine environment were partially successful when Nickel giant Inco-CRVD developed a proposal for onland containment of its toxic tailings waste. However the mine has continued to dump large volumes of waste water containing toxic chemicals, and at temperatures that will affect the ecology into the marine environment.
The sustained opposition has intensified over the past year in an effort to prevent the Goro Nickel mine from laying the pipeline in the oceans. This local opposition and mobalisation has successfully halted the proposed construction of the pipe. The provincial administration has indicated its own concern for the proposal by placing a 1% levy on the revenue of the mine for the proposal to use the lagoon.
This culturally and environmentally significant region has been identified for inclusion within a World Heritage nomination lodged by France and scheduled for inscription in a meeting of UNESCO in July 2009.
The Goro Nickel mine is yet another case study of inadequate mine waste disposal practice. MPI continues to support the resistance of local communities, like the Kanak People in New Caledonia, by launching the call to ban the dumping of mine waste in oceans, lakes and rivers, and to call on the industry to contain its own waste.
If you are looking for more information Mines and Communities has over 100 stories on New Caledonia from 2001-2009