Destruction of the
Amazon Rainforest

The Mirador Mine – An Overview May 2023

04th of May 2023 | David F. Dene | Download PDF | The Mirador project, operated by the Chinese mining company ECSA, is being developed over an operating area of 6,998 ha and with a mining infrastructure area of 1,836 ha. Looking at our human behaviours through the eyes of Nature, irresponsibility rises up to […]

Indigenous leader assassinated amid conflict over oil that divided community

17th of April 2023 | Ana Cristina Alvarado | Ecuadorian indigenous leader Eduardo Mendúa, who opposed oil operations on his community’s land without informed consent, was assassinated by hitmen in February 2023. The conflict between the community and state-owned oil company Petroecuador EP escalated into his murder. The opposition to the drilling was backed by […]

Ecuador court upholds ‘rights of nature,’ blocks Intag Valley copper mine

31st of March 2023 | Liz Kimbrough | Full Article | In a landmark ruling, the Provincial Court of Imbabura in Ecuador has upheld the rights of nature and blocked the development of a copper mine in the Intag Valley. The decision marks a significant victory for environmentalists who have been fighting against mining in […]

Mirador – a time bomb? | Mirador, ¿una bomba de tiempo?

13th of February 2023 | Diego Cazar Baquero | @dieguitocazar | The Mirador mine, a mega-mining project located in the southeastern Ecuadorian Amazon, has been the subject of controversy since its inception due to its potential environmental impact and violation of indigenous rights. The mine, owned by Chinese companies, has been accused of ignoring environmental […]

Mirador: A mine of mirages ‘Ecologist’ Article – David Dene February 18th 2019

Read Full Article: https://theecologist.org/2019/feb/18/mirador-mine-full-mirages China is investing in the huge Mirador mining project in Ecuador – at great risk to human life and the natural environment. If you’re producing sixty thousand tons of toxic waste a day and need to store it safely until the end of time, you’re doing what the sun does to […]

The Mirador Mine in Ecuador – Another disaster waiting to happen?

“In order to bring the situation affecting the Mirador Mine into perspective I am including information on the recent Tailings Dam failure in Brazil.” On Friday, January 25th. 2019, the 42 year old Brumadinho Tailings Dam in Brazil collapsed. On January 30th. news outlets declared that 99 people had been found dead, and the chances […]

Adverse Ecological Effects of the Mirador Open-Pit Copper Mine

The World Bank notes that acid mine drainage is one of the most serious and difficult problems associated with mining, and has severe and permanent effects on the environment. Acid mine drainage continues to emanate from mines in Europe established during the Roman Empire prior to 467 AD (CSS, 2002). Georgius Agricola’s “De Re Metallica” […]

Usage of Water by the Mirador Open-Pit Copper Mine

The Mirador Open Pit Copper Mine will mine 60,000 tons of rock per day. When 50,000 tons of ore are mined and crushed per day, 49,700 tons of solid rock waste is created each day, all of it contaminated by heavy metals. In the case of the Mirador Mine more than 49,700 tons of rock […]

Case upholding the Rights of Nature

On the 15th of january NGO’s and The Shuar people, presented a request to the courts in Quito to try the Ecuadorian Government for infringement of their own Constitution, written in 2008, and the first in the World to enshrine The Rights of Nature. Organizations like The Pachamama Alliance, Conaie, Ecuarunari, and Acción Ecológica want […]

A new era? President Correa’s dilemma: chinese money or Ecuador’s nature.

The Horrors Of Copper and Gold Mining in the Head Waters of the Amazon. There is an area in the Upper Amazon, in South Eastern Ecuador which is under threat from the first of what may be a succession of open pit copper mines. Mirador One has been licensed and more mines are planned for […]