World Heritage sites and mining don’t mix

They say the water is so clean you can drink it.

It’s one of the intriguing qualities of the little known blackwater swamp that sits at the Florida/Georgia border. That’s why it was wonderful to learn that the U.S. is nominating Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge for UNESCO World Heritage status. Just an hour outside of Jacksonville this wildlife refuge is one-of-kind, one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the world. Global scientists and researchers say there is no place like it on earth. 

In the same breath, it’s equally devastating that Georgia policymakers would consider damaging this awesome ecosystem by allowing a titanium dioxide strip mine to be built nearby. Plans for mining come as close as 3 miles to the pristine freshwaters of Okefenokee, destroying hundreds of acres of wetlands and streams in the process. The potential impact on water flow, quality and control will likely alter this pristine refuge from the place we know it to be now.  

How is it that Okefenokee is recognized as being so special by the global scientific community that it’s nominated for World Heritage status, but some state politicians are missing the significance? This could be Georgia’s first World Heritage site and the nearest to north Floridians. Its value is far greater to the people who live near the swamp and the 600 species that call it home if it remains untouched.

 There are far fewer places left on this planet that aren’t heavily impacted by human activity than there were even a decade ago. This is one of those precious few, right here in our own backyard. It deserves to be on this worldwide stage.

In 2024 the writing is on the wall–we need to do more to protect the places and wildlife that make our region special. There is no need to mine for titanium dioxide next to a precious resource. Mining companies have found plenty of titanium dioxide elsewhere.