The Bureau of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats has decided to put on standby the complaint from domestic and European NGOs against the Government of Serbia regarding the Jadar lithium project. It will closely monitor further developments and activate the complaint if the project is restarted, Earth Thrive said.
In September 2021, a Complaint was filed with the International Convention for the Protection of Flora and Fauna against the proposed ‘Jadar’ lithium mine. The Convention’s Bureau recently decided to put the Complaint on ‘standby’, announcing that they will carefully observe the further development of the situation around the project, ready to open the dossiers if the Jadar project is officially revived.
Concerned about the huge threat of destruction that the proposed Jadar lithium mine would pose to Nature in Serbia, the international organisation Earth Thrive, which deals with the rights of Nature in Europe, worked with local organisations Protect Jadar and Radjevina and the international Earth Law Center partners on a Complaint to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Flora and Wildlife Habitats, based on the potential endangerment of protected species in the area of the proposed mine. For more information on the complaint you can go to London Mining Network.
The decision of the Bureau of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats is very important for the locals and NGOs as they doubt the project is really terminated, which is what the Government of Serbia has announced. Of note, Rio Tinto recently said it is ready to renegotiate its Jadar project.
Zoe Lujić, founder and director of Earth Thrive, and Marija Alimpić from the Protect Jadar and Rađevina association told Balkan Green Energy News that the bureau is concerned about significant negative effects the construction of lithium mines would have on protected wild species and habitats.
Serbia is a signatory to the Bern Convention, which is legally binding. The complaint against the government regarding Rio Tinto’s project was filed by Earth Thrive in cooperation with the Earth Law Center and local association Protect Jadar and Rađevina.
They filed the complaint in September of last year, warning of potential risks to protected species in the area where the exploitation and processing of jadarite ore were planned. A few weeks before the response deadline, in late January, the Serbian government decided to suspend the project.
The Bureau of the Bern Convention put the case on standby and told the Ministry of Environmental Protection in a letter that it is ready to reactivate it if the project is restarted.
The bureau also asked the government to submit a report on the progress of the cancellation of the Jadar project. It also asked for regular reports on its status.
For more information and to read the full article go to Balkan Green Energy News.
