Two to five local men dress as deities called Toshidon, donning straw raincoats decorated with the leaves of indigenous plants and monstrous masks with long, pointed noses, oversized fangs and demonic horns.

UNESCO: Culture

It has put in place a rehabilitation program that aims to reshape the dunes and bring the forest to its pre-mining state by putting the indigenous plants back into the ground after the extraction process.

CNN: South Africa dune mining whips up sandstorm

He also doubts whether indigenous communities necessarily have the right to surrender plants that might grow in other countries too.

BBC: Tribal cures for modern ailments

And as indigenous supplies fall, a looming shortfall in electricity generation (elderly nuclear plants and dirty coal-fired stations must soon be closed) will have to be met largely through more gas, which already provides 40% of Britain's power.

ECONOMIST: Britain��s dependence on gas imports will increase

If they have few indigenous energy resources, they may value, as Japan has done, the security offered by plants running on fuel that is cheap and easily stockpiled.

ECONOMIST: The dream that failed