As the globe marked World Environment Day on June 5, a report was released in Uganda revealing the threats posed by mining to the world’s remaining mountain gorillas and other biodiversity in protected areas.

The report, titled Uganda: Undermined — How Corruption, Mismanagement and Political Influence is Undermining Investments in Uganda’s Mining Sector and Threatening People and Environment, was compiled over 18 months by London-based non-governmental organisation Global Witness.

It states that the Directorate of Geological Survey and Mines (DGSM) handed out mining and exploration licences to mining companies to work in 25 of the 28 environmentally protected areas in the country.

Bwindi and Rwenzori national parks, which are Unesco sites, have been affected. The two parks form part of the larger Virunga area shared by Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We have evidence of deals awarding mining licences in Unesco World Heritage Sites, companies run by 20-somethings from London given licences in a matter of days, and children working with dangerous chemicals in high-risk gold mines. Individually, the cases are deeply shocking.

Together, they make a resounding case for immediate and far-reaching reforms,” said George Boden, a senior campaigner at Global Witness.

The Virunga covers 790,000 hectares with diverse habitats, and contains two of the most active volcanoes in Africa. It is located in the centre of the Albertine Rift Valley and has 2,000 premier plant species.

It has 218 animal species, 706 bird species, 109 reptile species, 78 amphibian species and 22 primate species, including the world’s last surviving mountain gorillas.

“The corruption, mismanagement and impunity that characterise the sector are threatening some of Uganda’s last remaining wilderness… It also poses grave threats to the country’s most iconic species including the endangered mountain gorillas and to the tourism industry, which relies on Uganda’s reputation as a wildlife hotspot,” says the report.

It cites cases where companies or individuals are given licences by virtue of their connections to the political leadership. For example, Woman Member of Parliament for Kanungu District Elizabeth Karungi is accused of having obtained a licence to mine in the heart of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.

The report quotes Ms Karungi as saying she obtained the licence to carry out mining activities in Bwindi because former tourism minister Maria Mutagamba was a “good, good friend.”

However, in a January 2017 letter to Global Witness investigators, Ms Mutagamba denied that she knew the legislator.

“Who is Karungi? Since when did a minister start issuing exploration licences, and in of all sectors oil?” Ms Mutagamba asked.

“Bwindi is a preserve of the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the board is the top management body,” Ms Mutagamba added.

She advised Global Witness to contact UWA executive director Andrew Sseguya or the then permanent secretary Patrick Mugoya. “They are in a better position to tell you who Karungi is,” she said in correspondence with Global Witness.

DGSM commissioner Edwards Kato said that mining in protected areas requires permission from UWA. The report notes that at the time the licence was issued, Ms Mutagamba was in charge of the tourism docket and Ms Karungi was a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Trade and Investment.

Uganda’s national parks form the basis for ecotourism and contribute to foreign exchange in the sector. But ongoing activities continue to pose threats to the country’s biodiversity.

Tibet Hima Mining Company, a Chinese company, is attempting to revive copper mining in Rwenzori National Park, a popular tourist site.

The company wrote to the chief warden of the park seeking co-operation to explore inside the park, but the authorities refused.

READ: Copper production to resume at Kilembe