In a people\'s referendum, three farming communities in the northern part of Peru have voted against Río Blanco, the major mining project of the British-Chinese consortium Monterrico Metals.

The planned copper mine is seen as a precursor for a large mining district in the High Amazon area, source of the Amazon river. The local communities strongly oppose the project, since it is a major threat to agriculture and thus to their human rights to food and water. The impact of the mining district on the water resources and the ecosystems of the \'páramos\', cold highlands, and cloud forests would be irreversible. With the organisation of the referendum, the \'campesinos\' hope to re-establish a serious dialogue with Peruvian national authorities.

Last Sunday, an overwhelming 95 percent of the 18,000 participants of the people\'s referendum, voted against the development of mining projects in the area. About 60% of the farmers voluntarily walked for hours to come down to the city centres to vote. With this referendum the communities of Ayabaca, Pacaipampa and Carmen de la Frontera hope to re-establish a dialogue with the national government about the illegal presence of Minera Majaz.

At stake in the referendum was the future of northern Peru. Monterrico Metals, eager to impose its Río Blanco copper mine project, wants to launch the development of a huge mining district. The local population however warns about the pernicious impact on the water supply of the area. They are extremely concerned, as the planned project threatens not only their daily agricultural activities, but also the biodiversity of the area. The region is a producer of organic coffee exported to Europe and fruits sold on the national market. The copper mine, located in the middle of the cloud forests and \'páramos\' of the High Amazon region, would affect the spring area of many rivers, one of which is the Amazon river itself. The unique but fragile ecosystem provides northern Peru with water and accommodates threatened species like the spectacled bear and the Andean tapir.

Since 2002, the illegal presence of the company generated a serious conflict in the region. Minera Majaz started the exploration without the permission of the local communities, violating national legislation and international conventions. Massive protests by the local population were not heard but brutally suppressed, leaving two dead and numerous wounded. With the realisation of the referendum, the local communities hope to solve the conflict in a peaceful way.

The recent boom in prices of metals has caused a new race to obtain concessions of the remaining metal and mineral resources worldwide. Under the present conditions however, it is more than doubtful that the planned projects will promote sustainable development. Only a few years after a similar result in Tambogrande, a couple of hundred kilometres away, the referendum on the Río Blanco project could become another historical step in a changing approach towards the exploitation of natural resources. The massive media attention given to the referendum during the last weeks shows that a thorough debate is imminent.

Source: www.fian.org