Protests in Tambogrande
Community members led by Mayor Francisco Ojeda recently organized vigils, peaceful demonstrations, and a general strike to show their opposition to the proposed mining project.
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| Activists protesting against the proposed gold mine for Tambogrande, Peru, outside a community consultation hearing in Lima. By: Thea Gelbspan/Oxfam |
In 1999, Manhattan Minerals Corp. was granted a mining concession by the Peruvian government in Tambogrande, located within the northern department of Piura. Since then, the local population has been struggling to decide whether agriculture or mining promises a better future. Tambogrande is located in one of Peru's most productive valleys, which produces a good part of the limes and mangoes destined for national consumption and export. The plan proposed by Manhattan minerals will use open-pit mining, a very environmentally destructive method, to extract the deposits underneath the valley, causing the relocation of two-thirds of the town.
Because of the impact that open-pit mining would have on the valley's environment and agricultural productivity, particularly in terms of the quality of the area's limited water supply, the municipal government in Tambogrande held a referendum in June of last year to gauge public opinion on the planned mining. Over 98% of Tambogrande's residents who voted opposed allowing the mining operation to go forward. Read more background on the Tambogrande case.
Despite this opposition, in December 2002, Manhattan Sechura—a subsidiary of Manhattan Minerals—presented its EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) to the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines for approval. The Ministry then organized workshops to present the EIA to the public along with open hearings where people could voice their opinions about the project. Peruvian law states that at least one of the hearings must be held before the government issues a final decision (due in May) on whether Manhattan Minerals will be allowed to start excavating in the valley.
The consultation plan was supposed to include 11 informative workshops and three public hearings, but only 5 workshops were held and a public hearing has yet to take place. Community members led by Mayor Francisco Ojeda recently organized vigils, peaceful demonstrations and a general strike to show their opposition to the proposed mining project.
Hearings were scheduled to take place on November 3rd and 4th, but they were postponed, a development that took everyone by surprise. Manhattan's representatives blame Mayor Ojeda and the demonstrators for causing the postponement, while ample press sources, together with the residents of the community, have repeatedly reported that their demonstrations were simply peaceful events that did not prevent the hearings from taking place. Spokespeople for the municipality have said that the actions of the protesters were only intended to reaffirm the decision made by the overwhelming majority of Tambogrande's people in last year's popular referendum.
One of the three planned hearings was officially postponed by the Ministry of Energy and Mines. The other two, scheduled to be held in a building chosen by the mining company, were questionably postponed by the owners of those buildings because they asserted that the vigils and demonstrations of the townspeople constituted a security threat. The situation remains unresolved.
What Oxfam America is Doing in Tambogrande
Oxfam America supports communities in claiming the right to decide if they want mining or oil and gas extraction in their community and under what conditions. Oxfam is not opposed to mining in principle, but we believe extractive companies must respect the rights of affected communities and adopt responsible practices such as providing communities with information on the current and potential impacts of particular mining projects.
The 2002 popular referendum on the mine was organized with broad support from national and international non-governmental organizations. Oxfam America specifically supported Diaconía para la Justicia y la Paz, a Piura-based NGO, to conduct an education campaign to inform and encourage the local population to participate in the consultation process.
Oxfam America also currently works with the Tambogrande Technical Committee, an advisory group composed of a dozen of the most respected civil society organizations in Peru. This committee provides analysis and advice to the people of Tambogrande that helps them have the information and advice they need to make the crucial decision about whether to allow this project to proceed.