Empowered communities promote sustainable use of Lake Natron

Empowered communities promote sustainable use of Lake Natron

In 2006, Tata Chemicals Ltd of India, in conjunction with the Tanzanian Government through the National Development Corporation (NDC), proposed to build a soda ash factory worth $450 million at Lake Natron. Following international advocacy against the project, Tata withdrew in 2008. In spite of that, the Government of Tanzania remained committed to developing a soda ash plant at Lake Natron whenever an investor became available.

Following Tata’s pull-out, BirdLife embarked on initiatives to build the capacity of the local community to conserve the lake as well as boost their livelihoods through ecotourism. One of the elements of capacity building was land rights training, which empowered the community to make sound and informed decisions in view of competing land uses, such as the proposal to mine soda ash. Since 2014, BirdLife has conducted successive land rights training at Lake Natron, reaching over 90 participants in four wards, with 70 men and 24 women trained. Knowledge of land rights has empowered communities to reject soda ash mining proposals, which NDC has attempted to revive, in their villages. As a result, Lake Natron remains safe from the long-term plan to mine soda ash and the flamingos continue to breed in safety.

A bird’s eye view of Lake Natron. (PHOTO: ©NASA Johnson/Flickr)