January 16, 2015 - Page 1

EJOLT La Colosa Mining Project in Cajamarca Fact sheet () 012

Introduction Ore & building materials extraction Once declared by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as being “the greatest gold mine in the world”, the open pit mining project is located in Keywords Cajamarca, Tolima in Colombia. It is  Gold mining situated in the Andean region in the  Colombia north-central part of the country. In 2007, Tolima had a population of 19,789.  Anglogold Ashanti

 Food Due to its importance for national In Cajamarca, Tolima, 1,300 march against markets, Tolima is known as the large-scale mining  Large-scale mining “agricultural belt of Colombia”. Some of Source: Territorio Centro, 4 August 2012  Open pit mining the major tributaries of the Magdalena River flow through it. The area adjacent 12.3 million ounces). Currently, the to the Central Magdalena River is company has limited exploration permits. characterised by its gold, wood, oil, carbon and uranium (PASM, 2009), and The exploration phase of the mine will consequently disputes arise between end in 2015 and the first gram of gold various multinational companies who run from La Colosa will be extracted, at best, exploitation projects, and farmers who in 2019 and not in 2016 as originally cultivate and trade many agricultural planned. If things go as intended, it is products. Tolima is also home to three estimated that the mine could reach an national parks: Los Nevados, Las annual production between 600 and 800 Hermosas and Nevado del Huila. thousand ounces, and have a life span of 15 years. The municipality of Cajamarca covers an area of 51,528 hectares (127,328 acres) The gold discovered in the area is in Tolima, and 79 percent of it belongs to relatively close to the surface and the Central Forest Reserve, created by disseminated all over, which means that Law 2/1959. South African company it would be necessary to extract the gold AngloGold Ashanti has a mining by an open pit mine. In 2012, the concession of 515.75 hectares (1274 company presented new results of the acres) in Cajamarca, that comprises La exploration phase showing that the mine Luisa, Paloma, Bolivar and Diamante, holds 24 million ounces in reserves, where the La Colosa Project is being doubling the original estimate. developed. Impacts Background The communities in the region claim that AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) is the third with the expansion of the mine, 161 largest gold exploitation multinational water sources would be threatened as a company in the world. In Colombia, it is result of contamination by the leaching present in 20 departments of the process and the use of water for country. It holds rights to 9,920 square extraction. kilometres (3,830 square miles) in mining titles in Colombia; a territory that According to calculations, over 4 million is seven times the size of Ibague, capital kilograms of cyanide would be used of Tolima. every year in the process of leaching. The toxic waste generated would Project contaminate the Bermellon, Cuello and even the Magdalena Rivers. In addition, The exploration phase at La Colosa the ground would be affected by heavy revealed the presence of a gold vein metals such as arsenic, cobalt, mercury, system at a grade of 0.3 grams/tonne et cetera that will continue to stretching 1,500 metres (4,921 feet). The contaminate the water for over a inferred reserves are 381.4 million tons century. with an average of 1.00 grams/tonne (or January 16, 2015 - Page 2

Colombian landscape in the La Colosa area . Source: Soto Hoyos, 28 February 2011. stopsecrets.ning.com

removal of the vegetation cover in the Carl Brechtel, director of the La Colosa concession areas (FEDEARROZ, 2009). study stated that “(the company) considers that it would need In the social sphere, the communities approximately one cubic metre of water mentioned two direct impacts. First, every second to process each ton of people stand to lose their livelihoods due mineral, or between 631 to 946 million to being displaced, environmental cubic metres of water annually. If the damage and the destruction of other lifespan of the mine is between 15 and income-generating alternatives. Second, 25 years, then the total use of water increased militarisation in the area and would be around 9.5 billion and 23.6 other social problems are likely, as a billion cubic metres”. (Observatorio result of the security companies, Nacional de Paz, 2010). It is important to paramilitary forces and regular members note that the Corporación Autónoma of the army (Rivillas, 2009). Regional del Tolima, Cortolima (Autonomous Regional Corporation of Tolima, Cortolima) is clear on this issue: Conflict and consequences water resources in the area have been exhausted for these types of industrial Several international organisations such activities. as Human Rights Watch, and Mines and Communities, have documented the In this area, water plays a fundamental arrangement between AGA and armed role for human and agricultural use. In groups, and the crimes executed in 2009, the Comité de Arroceros de different countries where AGA works to Ibagué (Committee of Rice Producers of guarantee it enters a nation and Ibague) spoke out against these develops large-scale operations. AGA projects, citing damage caused to has been denounced for violating human 11,000 hectares (27,181 acres) of rice rights and damaging the environment in fields that supply the Riego de Coello several countries (Mines and District. The Committee also argued that Communities, 2005). such harmful effects would spread by 4,000 hectares (9,884 acres) annually Furthermore, national organisations and impact arracacha (Arracacia have established that the areas where xanthorriza, an Andean tuber popular in AGA asks for concession contracts are Colombia) in Anaime and Cajamarca, as the same areas where paramilitary well as other crops such as fruits, coffee, forces and members of the National plantain, yucca and beans. The Army, acting together, have been production of these crops would be violating human rights since 1995. affected by water scarcity and environmental changes induced by the January 16, 2015 - Page 3

As stated on the website of the The report titled “La Colosa, in search Observatory of Mining Conflicts of Latin for the El Dorado in Cajamarca, America, from 1988 to 2006, 5,438 Colombia” revealed important findings people have been victims of human and irregularities at the legislative, rights violations and 610,110 people politic, environmental and moral levels in were displaced by paramilitary the awarding process of the project and organisations where the mining the exploration phase that is currently company has or is planning to run ongoing. projects. One of the main organisations that work In addition, activist organisations, on this issue in the area is the Minga de including Amigos de la Tierra Colombia Resistencia Social y Comunitaria del (Friends of Earth Colombia) and Tolima (Minga Social and Communal CENSAT have confirmed that social, Resistance of Tolima). Opposition political and community leaders continue groups organise pacifist citizen protests, to be arrested as a strategy to weaken among other actvities. In June 2011, and break the organisational process. 1,200 demonstrators gathered for the Leaders of groups opposed to mining third Defence of Life Carnival March activities in the area have been subject against the La Colosa Project (Comité to intimidation tactics, while the region ambiental en defensa de la vida, 2011). suffers from blockages and In August 2012, 1,300 protestors from displacements. different organisations denounced the threats that mega-mining poses to Additionally, the State uses violent Cajamarca (Territorio Centro, 2012). repression, assassination and litigation against organisations and leaders who are opposed to being displaced or attempt to acquire titles for the mines they have worked for generations. In some cases, requests to legalise titles are rejected because there are previous Location of La Colosa requests by the multinational company Source: La colosa: la búsqueda de el dorado en Cajamarca, Colombia, (Red Colombia, 2007). More on this case Versión 1 Fecha: 4 June 2011. colombiasolidarity.org.uk/ Similarly, leaders of groups opposed to  AngloGold Ashanti website: large-scale mining activities or people anglogoldashanti.com who run small-scale mining operations have been targeted with charges of  Colombia Solidarity Campaign. 4 June illegal mine exploitation. By July 2012, 2011. La Colosa: la búsqueda de el 57 people had been arrested (El Nuevo dorado en Cajamarca, Colombia, Día, 8 July 2012). Versión 1. colombiasolidarity.org.uk In 2010, the Environmental, Housing and Development Ministry imposed a USD 140 million fine on the company for violating environmental laws while exploiting a natural reserve. It is important to note that this penalty is pecuniary and does not influence in the project’s execution (OCMAL, 2010).

This document should be cited as:

Carbonell, M. H., 2014. La Colosa Mining Project in Cajamarca (Colombia), EJOLT Factsheet No. 12, 4 p. January 16, 2015 - Page 4

At the national level, CENSAT Agua viva References (cont’d) – Amigos de la Tierra Colombia (CENSAT Water Alive – Friends of the  OCMAL, “Multa de USD$ 140 Earth Colombia www.censat.org) and the Red Colombiana Frente a la Gran millones contra AlngloGold por Minería Transnacional (RECLAME violar normas ambientales”, 15 de Colombian Network Against septiembre de 2010. Transnational Large-Scale Mining conflictosmineros.net/component/co www.reclamecolombia.org) supported ntent/article/5985-multa-de-140- the consolidation of a network of millones-contra-anglogold-por- communities that, similar to Cajamarca, violar-normas-ambientales-en-la- are affected and threatened by large- colosa. scale mining.  Programa de Aprovechamiento Sostenible de Minerales (PASM) en el Departamento de Santander. References 2009. Informe final. Municipios de Barrancabermeja, Betulia,  Comité ambiental en defensa de la , El Carmen, San Vicente vida. 3 June 2011. Más de 12.000 de Chucurí, , , Curití, El mil personas marcharon contra la Cerrito, Landázuri y Bolívar, 292 p. megaminería en Tolima. simco.gov.co/LinkClick.aspx?filetick censat.org/articulos/. et=vi1FaGdEttQ%3D&tabid=86.

 El Nuevo Día, 8 July 2012. En 2012  Red Colombia, “Caravana nacional han sido capturadas 1.649 personas e internacional agrominera”, en el Tolima. Comunicado público, Bogotá, 5 http://www.elnuevodia.com.co/nuev September 2007. odia/actualidad/judicial/152794-en- redcolombia.org/oscar/sdb/Cocnlusi 2012-han-sido-capturadas-1649- oniCarovanaMinera_es.pdf. personas-en-el-tolima  Rivillas, Alexander Martínez, 2009.  Federación Nacional de Arroceros Estudio general de riesgos (FEDEARROZ). 2009. Arroceros en integrales del proyecto total oposición a exploración de deexploración y explotación minera mina La Colosa. Revista Arroz, La Colosa, Colombia. 57(480): 42-43. scribd.com/doc/51093325/document o-de-la-colosa.  Mines and Communities. 3 July This publication was developed as 2005. WACAM Condemns the  Territorio Centro, 4 August 2012. a part of the project Environmental Attempt by AngloGold Ashanti to 1300 personas marchan contra la Justice Organisations, Liabilities and Trade (EJOLT) (FP7-Science Cover Up the Shooting of megaminería en Cajamarca, Tolima. in Society-2010-1, under grant 'Galamsey' Suspect. conflictosmineros.net/contenidos/10- agreement no 266642). The views minesandcommunities.org/article.ph colombia/10589-1300-personas- and opinions expressed in all p?a=6677 EJOLT publications reflect the marchan-contra-la-megamineria-en- authors’ view and the European cajamarca-tolima Union is not liable for any use that  Observatorio Nacional de Paz, may be made of the information Región Centro. 2010. Documentos contained therein. EJOLT aims to improve policy responses to and mensuales de análisis y divulgación support collaborative research and sobre conflictos, Agua, comida y All sources last accessed action on environmental conflicts poesía en el Tolima, u oro para las 06.01.2014 through capacity building of environmental justice groups bolsas mundiales: el conflicto del around the world. Visit our free proyecto minero de La Colosa, 7 p. resource library and database at 3. www.ejolt.org or Facebook (www.facebook.com/ejolt) or follow observapaz.org/index.php?option=c tweets (@EnvJustice) to stay om_docman&task=doc_download&g current on latest news and events.. id=20&Itemid=49