“This is an extremely negative record in terms of all protected areas, especially to the North of Chile, where mining takes place most of the times”, said Chilean activist Lucio Cuenca from the Latin American Observatory on Environmental Conflicts (OLCA) to Real World Radio. “This is opening the door to the development of mining in protected areas, something that had been prevented so far”, he added.

The company responsible for the Catanave project is Southern Copper Corporation (controlled by Grupo Mexico, one of the world’s main copper producers). This company is to blame for serious environmental impacts in the southern region of Peru.

On December 3rd, 2010, the Regional Environmental Commission of Arica and Parinacota authorized the gold and silver project of Southern Copper Corporation. Putre’s Mayor, Aldo Carrasco, and Aymara leaders filed a complaint against the project and how it was approved. However, on June 16th, the Supreme Court rejected this complaint.

The company is also developing seven exploration works near the protected area called “Las Vicuñas”, and other seven exploration works are planned to take place inside the Reserve. The area was also declared a World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO). This is an environmentally fragile wetland that survives thanks to underground waters, that would be used by Southern Copper Corporation. Each exploration work is estimated to require 40 thousand liters of water.
“Water in the area is scarce”, said Lucio Cuenca to Real World Radio.
“Any alteration or overconsumption that takes place due to an industrial activity as mining will certainly have repercussions in the life of the community”, he said.

The Aymara people and some environmental organizations expressed their rejection to the Supreme Court’s decision. Cuenca said that it violates international conventions signed by Chile with reference to the protection and management of protected areas, in addition to indigenous rights. This is the case, for instance, of ILO Convention 169 that Chile approved recently and which came into force last year.

In the case of the Catanave mining project “indigenous communities were not consulted (in a prior and informed way) and this wasn’t even considered as an argument by national courts”, said Cuenca.

Aymara leaders are planning to continue lobbying, denouncing and mobilizing, and they are considering the possibility to resort to International spaces. The OLCA representative said that all is said at national level and what they can do is to “take the case to the Inter American Commission on Human Rights, but this is something that is under discussion by local communities”, he added.

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