En v i r o n m en ta l i m pac t a sse ssm en t s ( EIA s ) 561
Communities resist mining
The small farming community of Junín lies in a beautiful area of cloud forest
on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador. People here are poor but they
have earned a living from the earth for hundreds of years. Recently, the people
of Junín faced the biggest challenge in their history: a company planned to
build one of South America’s largest open-pit copper mines in their region.
When a Japanese mining company came to explore the area, people
in Junín knew that mining could bring pollution. But the mining company
promised to bring jobs and “progress” in the form of new roads and schools,
so the people let them explore for minerals anyway. Before long, the company
found a large deposit of copper, and the people of Junín soon found their
water supply polluted with mine waste. People were soon suffering from skin
rashes and other health problems.
The community asked the mining company to stop polluting. The company
didn’t stop, so the people of Junín took action. When the miners were away
on holiday, hundreds of villagers entered the mining camp, removed tools,
furniture, and other items of value, and left them with the authorities. Then
they burned down the camp. The company got the message and pulled out,
but later sold the mine to a company from Canada.
The Canadian company
worked to divide the
community. They offered
people from Junín large
amounts of money to sell their
We continued organizing.
Some villagers started
a newspaper and
community radio to keep
us all informed.
land. Some people did sell, but
others refused. The company
knew this would cause conflicts. The company also sent
a doctor to provide health care, but only to people who
signed a paper saying they were in favor of the mine.
After making this injustice known, local organizations
raised funds to open a community health clinic.
The law in Ecuador requires an EIA before any development project
can begin. The villagers knew that if an EIA was not done properly, the
government would not allow the mine to be built. They also knew an honest
EIA would show how copper mining would force people to move away, cause
air pollution, erosion and silting of waterways, and contaminate the water
with raw sewage, heavy metals, and other toxic waste.
(story continues on next page)
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012