SAFRICA-MINING-ENVIRONMENT-POLLUTION-NATURE

This aerial view shows the Moonstone mine in Doringbaai on September 22, 2022. With pink flamingos, white beaches and blue ocean waters, a stretch of South Africa's west coast has become a battleground between mining firms and environmentalists worried that diggers will raze the nature.Diamonds, zircon and other minerals have long been extracted in the coastal area near the Olifants river, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean about 300 kilometres north of Cape Town. But plans to expand mining and prospecting have angered surfers, animal lovers and residents of the sparsely populated rural region, who have pushed back with lawsuits and petitions. Some residents of Doringbaai have called for works to stop.But Moonstone's mine owner Trans Hex said all its environmental papers are in order, adding it has held mining rights for the area since 1991. (Photo by WIKUS DE WET / AFP via Getty Images)