New Caledonians fear Inco mining project.The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF PWRDF Primate's World Relief and Development Fund ) sponsored a visit to Canada by four residents of the South Pacific archipelago of New Caledonia New Caledonia, Fr. Nouvelle Calédonie, internally self-governing territory of France (2005 est. pop. 216,000), land area 7,241 sq mi (18,760 sq km), South Pacific, c.700 mi (1,130 km) E of Australia. -- two of them indigenous -- who are trying to get information from mining giant Inco Ltd. about the environmental effects of a nickel-cobalt project in their country. "We have to have a future vision for our people -- how we can evolve with development. We have concern for our environment," said Georges Mandaoue, president of the Senat Coutumier, a group that represents native Kanaks, who make up about 45 per cent of New Caledonia's population of 211,000. The New Caledonia team visited the Anglican Church of Canada's national office in Toronto in October to present their case to church members, including the primate's fund, which is covering $3,000-$4,000 of the tour's expenses. Also attending were representatives of the United Steelworkers United Steelworkers (USW) historic labour union representing workers in steel, aluminum, and other metallurgical industries for much of the 20th century. In the U.S. of America, which is also sponsoring the tour. Besides Mr. Mandaoue, the group included Regis Vendegou, secretary general of the Senat Coutumier, Jacques Mermoud, secretary general of Action Biosphere biosphere, irregularly shaped envelope of the earth's air, water, and land encompassing the heights and depths at which living things exist. The biosphere is a closed and self-regulating system (see ecology), sustained by grand-scale cycles of energy and of and Rick Anex, a member of Action Biosphere, an environmental group in New Caledonia. Toronto-based Inco, a major Canadian mining company, has had a presence in New Caledonia since 1984, a pilot operation for the past two years and plans to ramp up Ramp Up To increase a company's operations in anticipation of increased demand. Notes: A company might 'ramp up' operations if they just signed a contract creating substantially more demand for their product. See also: Demand, Economies of Scale its $1.4 billion (U.S.) nickel-cobalt mine in 2004. Located in Goro, in the southern part of New Caledonia, the project is called Goro Nickel and shareholders include the French government. New Caledonia is a French protectorate protectorate, in international law protectorate, in international law, a relationship in which one state surrenders part of its sovereignty to another. The subordinate state is called a protectorate. . Members of the group said the mining project could endanger the unique bio-diversity of the area as well as the delicate coral reefs coral reefs, limestone formations produced by living organisms, found in shallow, tropical marine waters. In most reefs, the predominant organisms are stony corals, colonial cnidarians that secrete an exoskeleton of calcium carbonate (limestone). and fishing grounds, source of food for the Kanaks. They said they have tried to no avail to get a copy of an environmental report prepared by Inco and given to the New Caledonia government. Mr. Mandaoue said they were told in New Caledonia that the information was in Toronto, but at a meeting with Inco executives in Toronto, they were told the report was in New Caledonia. |
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