Televisuals

BirdLife International and several other institutions are running a campaign to save the lesser flamingos and maintain the integrity of Lake Natron. In November 1996, the BirdLife organisation in Tanzania (WCST) made a submission to the government's national environment management council (NEMC) that: " in the eyes of conservationists, the implementation of this project will result in an ecosystem catastrophe in the long run ". Since that initial submission, WCST has maintained constant opposition to the project plans. In early 2007, several institutions in Eastern Africa formed the Lake Natron Consultative Group to raise awareness of the threats that face Lake Natron and the lesser flamingos. The group now has 31 member institutions covering east, central and southern Africa as well as North America. A petition against the soda plant has been signed by more than 2,000 people around the globe. In October, BirdLife International began a global campaign to help save Lake Natron. Called 'Think Pink, Save Lesser Flamingos', the campaign is aimed at drawing the world's attention to the threat that the species faces if the soda ash plant is built. As part of the campaign, conservation organisations, eminent conservationists, flamingo experts and concerned individuals from more than 40 countries have written to the Tanzanian government protesting at the project plans. At a public meeting more than 90 per cent of those attending objected to the project, with the strongest objections coming from a delegation of 12 community members from villages around Lake Natron. The RSPB also presented the opposition from the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators. During the meeting revised plans for the soda plant were presented, including a shift in the site of the plant 32 km away. In March, Lake Natron Resources Limited wrote to the NEMC to withdraw the current environmental impact assessment (EIA) from consideration. They said that they would commission a new EIA for the new site. But the ultimate fate of East Africa's lesser flamingos is still unsure. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has never been regarded as very hip. Less glamorous than the Max Planck Society, which runs institutes of world fame, the DFG distributes government grants to established researchers in universities and other institutions, like the UK research councils. The average 14–19 year old German has probably never heard of the organisation, and even academics will only start acknowledging the DFG's existence at the point when they have to start …