"Mad Max: Fury Road" - Desert Destruction

All is well now, following reports that Namibian environmental groups and tourism companies were 'furious' with director George Miller's "Mad Max: Fury Road" crew and their alleged destruction of sensitive areas in the world's oldest desert.

"They added tracks in untouched areas," said tour operator Tommy Collard. "What is worse is the film crew tried to remove the marks they left themselves by dragging nets over them, ripping plants out. Together with other coastal tour operators we have collected a lot of photographic evidence. One cannot rehabilitate the landscape of the Namib Desert."

Collard said that smaller animals such as lizards, geckos and chameleons also suffered, as well as the rare lithops cactus.

"Mad Max: Fury Road", the fourth post-apocalyptic "Max" feature from writer/director George Miller, stars Tom Hardy as 'Max Rockatansky', Nicholas Hoult as 'Nux', Charlize Theron as 'Imperator Furiosa', Zoë Kravitz as 'Toast' and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as 'Splendid'.

Filming took place in a section of the Namib Desert recently proclaimed as 'Dorob National Park'.

Coastal watchdog 'NACOMA' ('Namibian Coast Conservation and Management') commissioned ecological scientist Jon Henschel to compile a report on the environmental damage.

"NACOMA contracted me as consultant about the tracks left by the 'Mad Max' film crew and yes - some areas in the Namib Desert were destroyed," Henschel said. "In one area a ploughing device was used."

In a response to media reports about the alleged devastation, the 'Namibia Film Commission' ('NFC') placed a full-page advertisement in state-owned newspaper 'New Era' to "refute the allegations in the strongest terms".

"'Mad Max: Fury Road' has to our satisfaction faced up to their responsibilities within Namibia", read the ad. "We register no reservations and give 'Mad Max: Fury Road' a clean bill".

Similarly, the ministry of environment's permanent secretary Simeon Negumbo said the film company conducted land rehabilitation to the ministry's satisfaction.

"From the beginning, the experienced, dedicated team used tried and tested methods like vehicle and hand-dragged fishing nets, tyres, brooms, chains, ropes and leaf blowers, which worked perfectly in the area," Negumbo said.

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