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DAM-L British scientist banned from Ghana dam site/LS (fwd)
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Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 09:41:49 -0700
To: irn-safrica@netvista.net
From: Lori Pottinger <lori@irn.org>
Subject: British scientist banned from Ghana dam site/LS
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Press statement from mampam.com
tel: 01457 855972 email: mampam@mampam.com
A British scientist has been banned from Bui National Park in Ghana, which is
due to be flooded by a hydroelectric dam next year. Daniel Bennett claims he
is the only living scientist to have conducted biological research in the
1,800km2 reserve, which he says contains "the last pristine wilderness in
the entire Volta System". The park is home to the largest of only two groups
of hippos left in Ghana. Bennett claims the dam will destroy all the feeding
grounds of the hippos, and that their only chance of survival is to create
alternative feeding areas around the flooded area.
Having conducted research in the park with a 50 strong team in 1996 and 1997,
Bennett returned to Ghana in March this year to complete a longstanding
agreement with the authorities to continue his work. On arrival he was told
that the area was politically sensitive, that his studies were no longer in
the national interest, that his permission to conduct the research had been
withdrawn and that he should not visit the park or surrounding area.
"If the government don't want me, that's their business" said Bennett
yesterday from his home in Glossop. "I've no wish to interfere with Ghana's
development plans, I thought I was helping them. But I do want to say that
Bui has been shamefully neglected by the scientific community, both in Ghana
and worldwide. It's vast, it's the last decent riverine forest in Ghana and
we know virtually nothing about it. The only people who have tried to conduct
research there are the late Paul Choribe and myself. It's not an easy place
to work, but it's teaming with wildlife and we have only scratched the
surface. If the only other investigations that are made before the place is
destroyed are by the people under contract to the dam construction company it
would be a terrible tragedy. ".
Bennett claims he is ?4000 in debt over the cancelled project. "I couldn't do
the research so I have to pay the sponsors back. I'd taken all the equipment
over and the team was half in place. I don't know how long it will take me
to pay it back, probably years". Bennett holds an honorary position at the
University of Aberdeen and conducts research on a voluntary basis, raising
the money through grants and award applications.
The $900 million hydroelectric project is scheduled to start producing power
in 2006. A Canadian company, Acres, has been contracted to conduct the
Environmental Impact Assessment by the Volta River Authority in Ghana. The
dam will be built by a consortium lead by Brown and Root of the U.K., and
construction is due to begin in 2002. The newly created 660km2 lake will
flood all the riverine forest in the park. The government has indicated that
animals from Bui will be relocated, something Bennett is sceptical about.
"Hippos are very big and extremely dangerous. There isn't anywhere for them
to be moved to that isn't full of people and in any case catching 400 hippos
would be impossible. It would be carnage".
Further information:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200103270262.html - article from Ghana
Independent, March 29 2001
http://hippo.50megs.com - Bui Hippo Project website
http://www.mampam.com - Daniel Bennett's research projects
Bennett, D. and B. Basuglo (editors). 1998. Wildlife of Bui National Park,
Ghana. Viper Press. 114pp.
Bennett,D., N. Green and B.Basuglo. 2000. The abundance of Hippopotamus
amphibius in the Black Volta River at Bui National Park, Ghana. African
Journal of Ecology. 38:372-373.
--
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Lori Pottinger, Director, Southern Africa Program,
and Editor, World Rivers Review
International Rivers Network <'})))>><
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
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