Exploratory mining in the period from the 1950s-1970s in eastern and central Serbia near the settlements of Mokra Gora and Lajkovac revealed the existence of 1% of nickel in the ore deposits. Today the region of Mokra Gora (Municipality of Uzice) has a status of a Natural Park (NP), while central Serbia, where Lajkovac is located (Municipality of Topola) is predominantly an agricultural region. |
Description
Basic Data
| Name | Nickel ore exploration in Mokra Gora region, Serbia |
| Country | Serbia |
| Site | Mokra Gora and Lajkovac |
| Accuracy of Location | MEDIUM regional level |
Source of Conflict
| Type of Conflict (1st level) | Mineral Ores and Building Materials Extraction |
| Type of Conflict (2nd level) | Mineral ore exploration |
| Specific Commodities | Nickel |
Project Details and Actors
| Project Details | The mineral ores contain 0,7% of nickel. The license covers an area of 10,000 ha. Total content of nickel- 250,000,000 t an estimation. |
| Project Area (in hectares) | 10,000 |
| Type of Population | Rural |
| Start Date | 2004 |
| End Date | 2005 |
| Company Names or State Enterprises | Dinara Nikl DOO from United Kingdom - Holder of nickel ore exploratory permit |
| Relevant government actors | Government of Republic of Serbia; The Ministry of Natural Resources, Mining and Spatial Planing; The Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection of Republic of Serbia; Municipality of Uzice; Municipality of Topola |
| Environmental justice organisations and other supporters | Nature Park “Sargan-Mokra gora”: http://www.parkprirodemokragora.org/ |
The Conflict and the Mobilization
| Intensity of Conflict (at highest level) | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| When did the mobilization begin | PREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase) |
| Groups Mobilizing | Farmers Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Local scientists/professionals Natural park workers |
| Forms of Mobilization | Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Media based activism/alternative media Public campaigns threat of filing a lawsuit by the municipal government |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Potential: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Desertification/Drought, Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Noise pollution, Soil contamination, Soil erosion, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Mine tailing spills |
| Health Impacts | Potential: Malnutrition, Mental problems including stress, depression and suicide |
| Socio-economic Impacts | Potential: Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
Outcome
| Project Status | Stopped |
| Pathways for conflict outcome / response | Project cancelled Cancellation of exploratory permit |
| Development of Alternatives | The activists demanded cancellation of the Dinara Nikl DOO's exploratory permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Mining and Spatial Planning. |
| Do you consider this as a success? | Yes |
| Why? Explain briefly. | The Serbian Government withdrew the Dinara Nikl DOO's exploratory permit. |
Sources and Materials
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Meta Information
| Contributor | Jovanka Spiric, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, vankajo(at)gmail.com |
| Last update | 21/11/2014 |
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