Tambogrande Speaks Out
20 June 2002
This municipality in Peru held a referendum on June 2nd. 2002: 94 percent of the voters cast their vote against mining in urban and agricultural areas.
A mere 1.3% of the votes cast approved of mining in Tambogrande. This is perhaps the first case in which a community in Peru has voiced its concerns in this way about a mining proposal.
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| Local farmers are concerned that the introduction of mining to the Tambogrande area would endanger agricultural resources, such as these fruit groves. By: Ernesto Cabellos/Gurango Cine y Video |
The non-binding vote was called by town leaders in order to establish popular opinion on this highly contentious issue, and 27,015 out of 37,000 eligible voters turned out to express their opinion. The June 2nd referendum was held in total calm, with no reports of violence or other incidents. The peaceful nature of the event, monitored by national and international electoral observers from nine different institutions, testifies to the civic and democratic character of Tambogrande’s residents.
This referendum is the latest chapter in a general debate about economic development in this successful agricultural area. Its timing responds to recent attempts to advance a gold-mining operation proposed by Canadian-based Manhattan Minerals Corporation together with the state-owned mining company, that would hold 25% of the shares of this initiative. Eight other mining companies have their eyes on this case as well, since there are other nearby mineral deposits. If the open-pit mine is created in order to access the gold, copper, and zinc lying underneath the town of Tambogrande, approximately 8,000 of the town’s 14,000 to 16,000 inhabitants would have to be relocated. In addition, the local river would be diverted and the fate of the fruit orchards that employ the majority of rural workers in the area, would be uncertain. This raises questions as to who will bear the costs of the mine.
The people of Tambogrande have a lot at stake in this decision. The town’s leaders determined that a popular consultation process would be the most appropriate way to ascertain the views of the local people. On July 14, 2001, The Archbishop of Piura and Tumbes declared that “after two years of having dialogued and studied the mining proposal, a popular consultation should be held with the inhabitants of Tambogrande and the Valley of San Lorenzo as soon as possible, regarding the convenience or not of mining activity in these places.” In this same communiqué, signed by all the clergy and catechists of the Archdiocese, agriculture was affirmed to be the department’s economic backbone and preferred way of living, and the government was encouraged to guarantee the territorial rights of those principally affected.
This debate leads to the heart of recent discussions about the best poverty reduction strategies in Peru. Commenting on the possibility that gold exploitation in Tambogrande could contribute to diminishing levels of poverty, Miguel Palacín Quispe, president of the National Coordinator of Communities Affected by Mining (CONACAMI), an organization supported by Oxfam America, asks: “whose poverty levels do we wish to diminish – those of the mining businessmen or of the population?” A bulletin issued on June 5th by CONACAMI affirms that, “The reality in Peru demonstrates that, with hundreds of years of mining, mining and agriculture do not co-exist. What is true is that where mining activity exists, poverty increases…” In a different statement, Marita Orbegoso, who works for Diaconia, a working group of the Roman Catholic diocese and a member of the roundtable of local groups and human rights, environmental, development, and mining-related NGOs concerned about this proposed mining operation, "We're not asking for gold, we only want to preserve the things that are forever," Orbegoso told the Canadian newspaper The Hamilton Spectator. "Agriculture is forever. It's for jobs, it's for people, it's for the production of food -- it's for life."
The Municipality of Tambogrande first requested government institutions that organize elections to assist with the referendum. After receiving a negative response, the mayor requested that Oxfam Great Britain provide support for the referendum. Oxfam Great Britain and Oxfam America are committed to supporting open debates about development, and supporting the rights of people to be consulted about projects that will affect them and to have their positions heard. As part of this commitment, Oxfam America and Oxfam Great Britain agreed to provide some funds toward assuring a smooth electoral process. Additionally, they assisted local groups in bringing electoral observers to supervise the electoral proceedings, which have been described as “a celebration of democracy.”
The World Reacts to the Tambogrande Referendum
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| The majority of people in the Tambogrande area rely on agriculture for their livelihood. The area is well known for its production of limes and lemons. By: Ernesto Cabellos/Gurango Cine y Video |
The referendum in Tambogrande is highly significant to people around the world who are concerned with protecting the right of local people to participate in decisions about their development and livelihood. The town’s mayor, Alfredo Rengifo, said during the voting session that the referendum “is an expression of the people regarding what is most relevant to them; it refers to their future, and is an opportunity for citizen participation… We should not fear democracy, as it is what gives us the base for development.” Úlises García, son of a mine opponent, Godofredo García Baca, who was killed last year in circumstances that have yet to be properly investigated, said that Tambogrande is “now an example for the world, in the sense that we wish to determine our future, and it is high time that Tambogrande be the protagonist in this situation.” Manuel Ortiz, leader of the Tambogrande Defense Front said, “the popular referendum is a civic lesson, not only for Tambogrande but for Peru, for the world, and for our nation’s congressmen.” (El Correo, June 3, 2002)
The case of Tambogrande has rapidly become a new symbol of the importance of “social license” for mining proposals. The decision that the Peruvian government will make in the coming months is a crucial test of this principle. The vote in Tambogrande is not a rejection of all mining projects; it is a clear affirmation of the desire and right of local people to participate in significant decisions and play a part in designing the most locally appropriate form of development.
Read this related article! The Promise of Gold: Tambogrande, Peru
