A Constitutional Injunction brought against the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment and the State Attorney General in August 2020 over concerns the rights of endemic species were being violated is to have its final hearing at the Multicompetent Judicial Unit of the Cotacachi canton on March 11 2021. Judge Carmen Jaramillo Cevallos ruled in September … Read More
Media Release
UNESCO Biosphere Reserve threatened by BHP, SolGold and other miners
Protest in Ecuador over UNESCO Biosphere Reserve threatened by SolGold, BHP and other miners Yesterday marked 60 days of protest against mining for people in the Parish of Pacto in Ecuador. In December, the Pacto parish declared an indefinite protest, arguing that mining activity threatens the biodiversity and water sources of the Chocó Andino reserve, … Read More
Llurimagua case looks set to be lost by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment
Llurimagua case for endemic species looks set to be lost by the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment in significant blow to plans for mining in the area A case for protecting endemic species at the planned Llurimagua mine site had another win last week when Carmen Jaramillo Cevallos, Judge of the Multicompetent Judicial Unit of … Read More
Los Cedros Reserve court date set
Landmark Rights of Nature case to be heard in Ecuador’s Constitutional Court on October 19 The outcome of this significant case to protect the Los Cedros Reserve from mining would set a precedent for all future Rights of Nature cases, and could dramatically limit the ability of mining companies to operate in Ecuador. In 2018, … Read More
Major legal victory for endemic species in Ecuador Rights of Nature case
A Constitutional Protection Action win at the Cotacachi Court on September 24 may stop mining companies destroying the habitats of endemic species in Ecuador “In a huge win for the environment, on Thursday 24 September a judge at the Cotacachi Court ruled that the Ministry of the Environment failed at its job of protecting species … Read More
Rinehart mining camp burnt in Ecuador
Gina Rinehart’s Ecuador subsidiary Hanrine is facing renewed unrest in the province of Imbabura, Ecuador. On Tuesday 25th, a group of 180 people set fire to a mining camp at one of her concessions in Buenos Aires in north-east Ecuador. More on that here. The attacks came days after the local parish council met and … Read More
Sunstone Metals concession El Palmar an ecological and financial nightmare
Sunstone Metals agreement to acquire El Palmar, a copper-gold project in northern Ecuador is an ecological nightmare fraught with risks. El Palmar abuts the Los Cedros Biological Reserve, a scientific observational and research site, with a case for protection soon to be heard at the Constitutional Court in Ecuador. Los Cedros Biological Reserve in north-western … Read More
Rinehart vs Chilean Govt over spoils for copper mine
Ecuadorian investigation shows a conflict between Codelco and a subsidiary of Australia’s Hancock Prospecting, Hanrine, over control of the Llurimagua copper mine. Information revealed on August 3, in the Periodismo de Investigación article The war for Llurimagua, sheds light on the activities of a subsidiary company owned by Gina Rinehart, Australia’s wealthiest person, as she … Read More
Constitutional Court could save Australian Government funded Reserve in Ecuador from mining
A forest reserve in one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, originally set up with Australian Government support and home to over 200 species at risk of extinction, has been scheduled for a landmark legal case. In a precedent-setting move, the Constitutional Court of Ecuador has announced it will take on the case of the … Read More
Elected local officials threatened with jail for opposing mining
(MiningWatchCanada, Ottawa) The elected President and Vice President of a rural municipality in northwestern Ecuador have been threatened with criminal, administrative, and constitutional charges if they approve any measures to prohibit mining. The threat came in response to concerns expressed by the Decentralized Autonomous Government (GAD in Spanish) of “6 de Julio de Cuellaje” parish, … Read More