What We Do

Gender & Extractives

Women in extractive communities face challenges like sexual exploitation, poor rewards for their labour, deprived livelihood, torture and harassment. Under the Gender and Extractives programme, CNRG is strengthening the capacity of women to demand respect for their rights from mining companies, government and the broader society. We do this through:

Training in participatory action research to empower community women to inquire and take action to address questions and issues that will improve their circumstances.
Building solidarity and sisterhood among women with a common understanding of issues affecting them.
Promoting legal empowerment and availing environmental tools that will enable women to use legal tools to fight environmental, climate and economic injustice.

Climate Change

All living things on earth are now under threat from increasing global temperatures. Human beings are counting their successes without considering the cost. Extraction of natural resources depletes natural carbon sinks such as forests, while mining of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil exploits carbon sinks to release carbon gases through combustion. Coal mining in Zimbabwe is one of the dominant activities, which boast of over 26 billion tonnes of coal reserves and 40 trillion cubic feet of coal bed methane gas. Through advocacy, research, awareness raising and capacity building of communities around commercial forests, mines of coal, oil and gas, we are helping develop and implement community-level climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives.

Mineral Resource Governance

Contract policing (consultation, EIAs, licensing)

Ecosystems - Wildlife and Forests

HWC

Contract policing

Wildlife and forest crimes

Community resilience building

Wildlife Conservation

Extractive industries destroy the well-being and habitat for wildlife, destabilising natural ecosystems and resulting in biodiversity loss. Extractive industries are one of the main drivers of animal extinction. The extractive industries have a key role to play in protecting wildlife and reducing biodiversity loss. Currently, in Zimbabwe animals such as pangolins, rhinos and pythons are under threat to poaching and habitat destruction. We protect and defend wildlife populations and their ecosystems. Through research, advocacy and capacity building and promotion of traditional and modern conservation methods, we work with communities to conserve wild species, their habitats, and maintain the integrity of the ecosystems.

Forest Conservation

Natural resources like forests and land are under threat from commercial interests. Timber-logging companies have caused great scale deforestation while driving other tree species to extinction. We raise the awareness of hosting communities on the effects of commercialisation of forests through research and capacity building of local communities to monitor and protect indigenous forest. We also promote preservation of traditional conservation methods as well as reforestation.

Land and Water
Rights

Land rights

Water rights

Land and water policies

Water
Rights

When mining companies and artisanal miners invade communities, they grab sources of water which include borehole, dams and streams. Water bodies are polluted by chemicals used in processing minerals. Sometimes communities are displaced and dumped in places where there is no water. Through capacity building, research litigation, we defend the communities’ right to access to clean water.

PARTNER WITH US

CNRG relies on the support it gets from foundations and individuals who believe in economic justice. Our hard-working team travels throughout the country in the most difficult and challenging circumstances to strengthen the capacities of communities to resist destructive mining.