Three-quarters of the world population of lesser flamingos depends on Tanzania’s Lake Natron as a breeding site. Food is plentiful, nesting sites abound – and above all, the lake is isolated and undisturbed.

But in recent months, the Tanzanian Government and the Indian company Tata Chemicals have put forward proposals to build a largescale industrial plant to extract soda ash from Lake Natron’s water, via a network of pipes across the surface of the lake. A new road and rail infrastructure would be built to serve the soda ash plant.

BirdLife International believes the development and associated infrastructure will displace and scatter the 500,000 pairs of lesser flamingos which nest at Lake Natron. It takes very little disturbance to cause an entire breeding colony to abandon its nests.

Why is Lake Natron so important for Lesser Flamingo?
Lake Natron's isolation and vast salt flats provide crucial safety from predators, while its alkaline waters, rich in cyanobacteria, and lakeside springs supply food and freshwater for parents and chicks. The lake is the breeding ground for the huge concentrations of Lesser Flamingos that feed and roost on other lakes up and down the Rift Valley. A thriving tourist economy has been built on what has been described as “the greatest ornithological spectacle in the world”, bringing around $12 million a year.

Why might the flamingos disappear if the factory goes ahead?
Likely changes in the chemical composition of the water will affect the cyanobacteria on which the flamingos feed. Nest sites will be disrupted, and sitting birds disturbed. New scavengers and predators will inevitably be attracted to the development, particularly Marabou Stork – a species linked to mass nest desertions in breeding Greater Flamingo.

Where does the proposal stand at the moment?
Lake Natron Resources Limited (a joint venture of the Tanzanian Government and TATA Chemicals) have now submitted a revised version of their Environment and Social Impact Assesment (ESIA) to Tanzania’s National Environment Management Council, who will in turn make recommendations to Tanzania’s Minister of State in the Vice-Presidents Office, for Environment. This is expected to take place on November 2nd 2007.

BirdLife is aware that the ESIA study concludes that “the functioning of the Lake Natron ecosystem as it relates to the Lesser Flamingo strongly suggests that the project will entail a significant degree of environmental risk for this species in the longer term that is not capable of direct mitigation.” This statement alone may not be sufficient to stop the project from going ahead.

What is BirdLife doing to oppose the Lake Natron development?
BirdLife International is among a number of organisations who have submitted their objections to the proposed development to both Tata Chemicals and the Tanzanian Government. We have also aired objection at consultative meetings, led by the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania and Nature Kenya, our BirdLife Partners in Tanzania and Kenya respectively.

Most recently, on 16 October 2007, 23 countries from BirdLife’s Africa Partnership met in Nairobi and set down their objections in a written petition. This now sits, unacknowledged, with both Tata Chemicals and the Tanzanian Government.

Given the urgency of the situation, we are now mobilising support from BirdLife Partners – over 100 countries and territories worldwide with 10 million supporters - asking them to submit their objection to the proposed development at Lake Natron.

We urge you to give your support to BirdLife’s 'Think Pink - save Africa's flamingos' campaign. Think Pink and Help BirdLife save the Lesser Flamingo – one of Africa’s most enigmatic and beautiful birds.

1. Send a letter or fax: Express your opposition to the proposed salt ash development on Tanzania's Lake Natron by sending a letter or fax. Either, alongside thousands of others, will make an enormous difference.

Write to the Tanzania Minister of Environment, asking him to reject the proposal on grounds of severe environmental impact. Please send your letter to: Rt Hon Mark Mwandosya, Minister for Environment, Vice President's Office, PO Box 5380, Dar es Salaam, TANZANIA. Fax no. +255 22 2128749

Please copy correspondence to:
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, PO Box 9372, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Fax +255 22 2123158

The Director General (Ag) National Environment Management Council (NEMC), Tencot House (3rd floor), Sokoine Drive, PO Box 63154, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Fax +255 22 2111579

The CEO/Co-ordinator, Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania, PO Box 70919, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Fax +255 22 2124572

Mr Homi Khusrokhan, Managing Director , TATA Chemicals Limited, Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Mumbai 400 001, India. Fax +91 22 6665 8143 / 44

2. Find your BirdLife Partner: It may be that the BirdLife Partner that exists in your country or territory is already involved in BirdLife's Think Pink campaign by collecting signatures, or petitioning on your behalf. To find out more about the organisations within BirdLife's global Partnership click here.

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