National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Photo: Kenya Plans for Huge Sugar Factory Spark Bitter Dispute


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Plans for a massive sugar factory in a Kenyan wetland could irreversibly ruin the ecosystem, conservationists say.

The project, they warn, would wreak havoc on several indigenous groups, a vast array of bird and fish species, and two types of endangered primates—including the highly rare Tana River mangabey (above).

But proponents note that the planned facility would provide up to 20,000 new jobs in an impoverished region of the country that has already seen several failed attempts at kick-starting the local economy.

Photograph courtesy Julie Wieczkowski