Activists advance toward plebiscite on mining northwest of Quito

Ecuador’s electoral council (CNE) validated over 200,000 signatures the Quito sin Minería group collected, paving the way to hold a plebiscite on metal mining in the Chocó Andino area, which the Unesco declared a biosphere reserve.

The results will be binding.

Ivonne Ramos, from NGO Acción Ecológica, which supports the campaign, told a press conference that CNE must now publish an official notification, after which the plebiscite must be organized within 60 days.

In January 2022, the constitutional court greenlighted the collection of signatures.

Voters will decide if mining in Nono, Calacalí, Nanegal, Nanegalito, Gualea and Pacto will be allowed.

Early exploration, mainly for gold and copper, is underway in the Chocó Andino area.

In a plebiscite in February 2021 in Cuenca, residents voted against mining near water sources or water recharge areas. The vote was not retroactive, however.

The plebiscite targeted Dundee Precious Metals' US$323mn Loma Larga gold-silver project, although the Canadian company claims the asset is not in sensitive water areas.