Prioritizing community involvement: The importance of collaboration for Ecuadoran mining

With only two large producing mines, EcuaCorriente's Mirador copper mine and Lundin Gold's Fruta del Norte gold operation, Ecuador is pushing for greater sector development, but faces stiff opposition from activists and communities, especially indigenous groups.

Florence Drummond, founder and president of the organization Indigenous Women in Mining and Resources Australia (Iwimra) visited Ecuador at the invitation of the mining chamber. 

On the occasion, she talked to BNamericas about the importance of communication, community engagement and technology.

BNamericas: How do you deal with the opposition of communities, especially by indigenous people, to mining?

Drummond: That's something that's growing globally. One thing that has been lacking in the industry is free and prior informed consent. We certainly see a lot of conflict because there's a lack of communication. When we inform the communities from the beginning of an operation, we have to make sure to invite everyone to the table.

By communicating and informing from the beginning we begin to create strong and trusting relationships, and from the beginning we see how the community and the company can navigate toward mining together.

One essential thing is for all those involved to talk to fully understand what mining can bring to the community and understand what’s important to the community. It has to be an open, sincere, transparent dialogue.

BNamericas: How do you make that first contact between the government or companies and communities?

Drummond: What could be of value is talking to or connecting indigenous communities. For example, in Australia, there are lots of mining communities that have growing relationships with mining companies, both positive and negative, but they already have experience of that involvement.

What would be wonderful is if indigenous leaders [from Australia] visit Ecuador and have that dialogue with other indigenous people here. That would create a space for indigenous people to say what their challenges are and the solutions as well.

There should be the opportunity for that dialogue so that government policy and companies are sure what the community thinks and that’s incorporated into the policies. Commitment must be shown to build trust.

BNamericas: Is the role of the government or the company that develops a project more important in managing relations with communities?

Drummond: I think each stakeholder is responsible and has their role, and both parties have mechanisms to consult. An important aspect is that people dealing with communities have to be very aware of the culture and values of the community. You have to understand their communication mechanisms.

BNamericas: It seems that when mining companies want to communicate, it’s already too late due to the opposition against the projects.

Drummond: That's right. Agreements take a long time, while when we talk about operations, we have time schedules that have to be met. The schedules can't neglect the communication and relationship with the community from the beginning. Better community relations policies would help a lot. There can be no disconnect between industry, community and government.

Trust must be created by working with the communities. From the perspective of shareholders, transparency must be demanded. That also helps to have a better relationship with the communities and all the interested parties.

BNamericas: How can you reduce rising mining opposition in Latin America?

Drummond: Through education about sustainable mining. In Australia, there are networks for education. Our network for indigenous women also comes from the communities. They’re also now the leaders for the industry. They tell their story of being part of the industry and creating financial independence, which helps lift them out of poverty.

Societies now face greater challenges. The best thing we can do as an industry is to create best practices internally and have indigenous women really raise their voices about what they do. This is going to put the mining industry in a better light.

BNamericas. So the women of the communities should play a key role?

Drummond: I would say yes, because the roles of women in communities are important. I believe that if we can demonstrate strength in our employment, in our position and the ability that we have to contribute to our families and to earn money, this is something that we can give back to our future generations.

I believe that education about the mining value chain is where the future is in terms of sustainable mining, green energy, the transition, which implies moving away from traditional mining that was harmful to the environment. This is going to improve and inspire people to take action for what they want to see in the future.

BNamericas: How can care for the environment and life models in the communities be reconciled with mining?

Drummond: There are large operations in several countries and we certainly have good examples of community participation. Communities and indigenous people have a stronger voice now to ensure what is important from the start.

I think environmental groups have been very successful because they’ve created a connection with indigenous communities. The communities have to be well informed about what is committed with the projects, with the operations. This is something we have to show more of, but sometimes industries are closed to that out of fear.

As in any relationship, we have to make sure we're strong enough to talk about all of these challenges and take cues from industries around the world that are holding themselves accountable, that are good operators, good contributors, and show that people matter, that land is important, that water is important.

What we see in this industry now are young people who have different ideas, who are open, who are thinking about collaboration, communication and sustainability. We can all fit together.

BNamericas: What role should technology have in ensuring a better relationship with communities?

Drummond: In Australia, for example, we're looking forward to virtual twins. I mean, we can have an operation and we can illustrate what a mine might look like and put this in a virtual world and then put on virtual reality glasses and people can have a clear idea of what it might look like.

The transfer of knowledge to young people is also important. Virtual information also helps the community to tell its stories, and this is preserved in a library for future generations.

With technology, there are certainly great opportunities to honor what we’ve been and what our future will be, without forgetting strong values. Artificial intelligence and on-site security are very important; they offer lots of opportunities. The virtual world helps to understand the subject of mining.

BNamericas: How do you see the future of mining in Latin America and in Ecuador in particular?

Drummond: This is my fourth visit to Latin America and I do see a future for mining, especially in Ecuador, which I think is a very rich region in terms of nature. It's like being in paradise. Biodiversity is very important, so there have to be good practices and technology.

Ecuador can be a best-case practice: there's rich biodiversity, but also minerals, so you have to find a balance.

BNamericas: What opportunities does the energy transition offer the mining industry in Ecuador and in Latin America?

Drummond: I think the energy transition is starting because indigenous people, the environment and communities are being included for the first time.

Now we're talking about the energy transition, green energy, we're looking for other energies and this has been going on for a long time. We find it in ancestral knowledge, we know how to work with the sun, water, nature.

I hope that Ecuador really has an excellent future, a world-class industry that preserves the richness of its biodiversity and its people. They have to be the best to operate.