India: protests save tigers from coal mining

Mar 27, 2015

India’s Mahan forests are safe at last. According to Greenpeace, plans for a coal mine that would have meant felling 500,000 trees are off the table. “The government has accepted that the forest that provides the livelihood of so many people cannot be sacrificed for the profits of individuals,” explained local activist Bechan Lal.

India’s Mahan forests are among the oldest in Asia and provide habitat for leopards, tigers and elephants. 50,000 indigenous people call them home. Essar Energy, a steel and power generation company, is behind the mine plans.

While the project in the state of Madhya Pradesh has been stopped, India’s government is still heavily invested in the exploitation of coal reserves. Several mines and new power plants are planned.

Rainforest Rescue is working to combat this harmful policy. A petition to Deutsche Bank calling on it to drop its financial support of the Coal India group was signed by 85,829 supporters.