Square Kilometre Array telescope faces community pushback in South Africa

Nature : The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is an international radio telescope being built in Australia and South Africa. Construction of the first of 197 radio dishes has already begun in South Africa’s Northern Cape province, a sparsely populated area of mostly farmland. The SKA project is now facing protests from local residents as the organization begins to purchase more land to construct the majority of the dishes. The SKA organization’s initial outreach to the community focused on how the project would create jobs and improve economic and educational opportunities. It currently is providing support for new teachers in nearby Carnarvon and is paying tuition for some students to attend universities. But the benefits have not been evenly distributed among the local communities. Additionally, residents are concerned that the loss of farmland will damage the local economy.