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Government of Mauritania insists on strict environmental standards for offshore oil exploitation 17 February 2006 The Government of Mauritania asked for the assistance of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) to ensure the offshore oil exploitation at Chinguetti , Mauritania , comply with the best international environmental protection standards. His Excellency Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, Head of State of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, made the request in a meeting with Dr. William Jackson, Director of Global Programme, and several other Union officials in Nouakchott , Mauritania on 10 February. The Government of Mauritania is concerned in particular with the highly valuable fisheries of the West African coast. The income from fish exports, currently accounting for fifty per cent of Mauritania ’s state revenue, could be jeopardised by oil spills and pollution. The Head of State underlined that the income from petroleum mining are only expected for a few decades, whereas the rich fish resources should provide a basis of food and income to the Mauritanian people forever. Further concerns are Mauritania ’s relations with its neighbouring countries, who would also be impacted by potential spills, and the fragile coastal ecosystems of Mauritania , which include the two internationally-renowned National Parks of the Banc d’Arguin and Diawling. The coast of Mauritania is in one of the most highly fish-populated seas in the world. With petroleum extraction set to start this week, the Government of Mauritania feels the environmental and social impacts of oil exploitation have not yet been fully considered. In a recent speech the Mauritanian Head of State emphasized the importance of respecting the highest environmental standards to conserve marine resources, especially since spills by default are the responsibility of the State of Mauritania. Further, the Mauritanian government has just signed up to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and expects oil companies to demonstrate transparency. The fact that oil companies mostly originate from developed nations has only made Mauritania more determined to adopt an environmental protection strategy for the Chinguetti oil field that is as rigorous and effective as those in force in those countries. The Government of Mauritania requested the World Conservation Union’s help to minimize the risks of oil exploitation given its twenty years of work with Mauritanian institutions on sustainable management of strategic resources. The balance between environmental, social and economic issues is at the heart of the Union ’s work. At the meeting, Dr. Jackson expressed the Union ’s willingness to place the best international skills at Mauritania 's disposal. “We aim to help ensure that offshore and continental petroleum mining will be carried out according to the most rigorous international standards, as for example those in force in the North Sea,” said Jackson. The Union will focus on the implementation of rigorous environmental protection measures, while at the same time helping the country to acquire genuine expertise in this area. His Excellency Colonel Ely Ould Mohamed Vall, President of Mauritania, the Minister of Fisheries, and the Minister of Energy and Oil met in Nouakchott on 10 February with Dr William J. Jackson, Director of Global Programme, Dr. Mohammed Lemine Ould Baba, Dr. Jean-Yves Pirot, and Mr. Jean-Marc Garreau of the World Conservation Union. For more information
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