Factory delay leaves flamingos in the pink

Credit: C. RATIER/NHPA The lesser flamingos (_Phoenicopterus minor_) of Tanzania's Lake Natron (pictured) may get a temporary reprieve from a US$400-million soda-ash plant that was to

have been built nearby. An environmental advisory committee has recommended the government block the factory's construction unless its Indian-Tanzanian developer provides more details

of plans to protect the local ecosystem. Environmentalists are up in arms over the factory because the lake is a major breeding ground for East Africa's roughly 2 million lesser

flamingos and also home to a number of rare species, says Lota Melamari, chief executive of the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania. Melamari, who served on the advisory panel, says

developers presented few details about how the plant would affect the lake ecosystem. ?The main concern was a lack of information,? he says. The government is now deciding how to handle the

proposal. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Factory delay leaves flamingos in the pink. _Nature_ 450, 148 (2007).

https://doi.org/10.1038/450148d Download citation * Published: 07 November 2007 * Issue Date: 08 November 2007 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/450148d SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the

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