Chinese gold mining threatens a protected UN heritage site in Congo

OKAPI WILDLIFE RESERVE, Democratic Republic of Congo — Scattered along the banks of the Ituri River, buildings cram together, cranes transport dirt and debris scatters the soil. The patches of trees are a scant reminder that a forest once grew there.


Nestled in eastern Congo's Ituri province, the Chinese-run gold mine is rapidly encroaching on an area that many say it shouldn't be operating in at all - the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, an endangered World Heritage site.


The original...