Anthropologist Jane Goodall: China is pillaging Africa like an old colonial powervia RawStoryChina i
Anthropologist Jane Goodall: China is pillaging Africa like an old colonial powervia RawStoryChina is exploiting Africa’s resources just like European colonisers did, with disastrous effects for the environment, acclaimed primatologist Jane Goodall has told AFP.On the eve of her 80th birthday, the fiery British wildlife crusader is whizzing across the world giving a series of lectures on the threats to our planet.And the rising world power’s involvement on the continent especially raises alarms when it comes to her beloved chimpanzees and wildlife habitats.During the last decade China has been investing heavily in African natural resources, developing mines, oil wells and running related construction companies.Activists accuse Chinese firms of paying little attention to the environmental impact of their race for resources.“In Africa, China is merely doing what the colonialist did. They want raw materials for their economic growth, just as the colonialists were going into Africa and taking the natural resources, leaving people poorer,” she told AFP in an interview in Johannesburg.The stakes for the environment may even be larger this time round, she warns.“China is bigger, and the technology has improved… It is a disaster.”Other than massive investment in Africa’s mines, China is also a big market for elephant tusks and rhino horn, which has driven poaching of these animals to alarming heights.Continue reading on RawStory -- source link
#wildlifeproject#wildlifeadvocacy#wildliferights