Tanzanias government has denied approval for the construction of an industrial soda ash mine at Lake Natron a popular tourist attraction and home to more than 300 bird species including the worlds largest breeding population of lesser flamingos.
In early 2025, Ngaresero Valley Company announced plans to develop a plant with capacity to extract one million tonnes of soda ash from the lake basin annually. Government blocked the proposal in August following several months of lobbying by communities around the lake, coordinated by NGO Nature Tanzania. More than 65 000 people depend on the lake for livestock grazing, salt harvesting, eco-tourism and access to the freshwater springs flowing into the basin.
Designated as a UNESCO Ramsar wetland site, the lake is East Africas only regular breeding site for the lesser flamingo, sustaining between 1.5 million and 2.5 million flamingos, representing 75 of the global population.