AMLO pledges community vote on mining projects

Mexico's president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) will give communities the right to decide whether to allow mining projects to go ahead.

The left-wing Morena party leader, who takes office on December 1, announced the move in a speech at La Paz, Baja California Sur state, where a gold project has been met with opposition.

Desarrollos Zapal, a subsidiary of Mexican private miner Invecture Group, plans to invest US$250mn building an open pit mine at its Los Cardones project, part of which lies within the Sierra de la Laguna nature reserve.

A protest against the mine attracted hundreds last month, local daily El Universal reported, with residents citing concerns over its impact on local water resources.

AMLO said the decision on whether to allow the mine to advance will be left to local people.

"It is going to be very simple, I am going to conduct a survey in Baja California Sur and the people are going to decide on this matter," the president-elect.

The survey will be followed by a formal consultation, he added, pledging to act in accordance with the law.

BROADER PICTURE

This consultation process will extend to other projects.

"Democracy is consulting the people in all decisions and that is what we are going to put into practice," the president-elect said. "In the case of the (Los Cardones) mine, and in any case that merits it, everything will be consulted."

ANALYSIS

AMLO's pledge will be met with concern in the industry.

While miners can secure permits for projects by ensuring they comply with laws and regulations, including those relating to the environment and water, public opinion may be swayed by other factors, including emotive campaigns by NGOs and politicians.

These factors are likely to play a significant role in the case of Los Cardones, due to its location in a nature reserve, a tourism hotspot and a state renowned for its natural beauty.

AMLO's pledge to give the people of Baja California Sur state a vote on Los Cardones, rather than focusing on residents in the project's immediate area, may also prove problematic.

Communities close to the project are likely to see far more benefits from a mine than those further afield, including jobs and payments to landowners, and will be better able to weigh up its pros and cons, including potential environmental impacts.

AMLO is likely to favor communities over mining companies in some cases, Eduardo Arcos, associate analyst, Americas, at UK-based Control Risks told BNamericas in last month's Intelligence Series report, AMLO: Friend or Foe for Mining in Mexico?