Battle over Loma Larga gold mine heats up as a large protest march is planned for September 16

Organizers of the “Great March for Water” say they expect thousands to show up Tuesday, September 16, to protest government plans to allow gold mining at Loma Larga, on the Quimsacocha páramo south of Cuenca.

Protesters of the proposed Loma Larga gold mine gathered near a lake on the Quimsacocha páramo in November 2024.

Sponsored by the Cabildo por el Agua, the Federation of Indigenous Organizations of Azuay, and the Federation of University Students of Ecuador, the march will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the San Roque church on Av. Loja and continue through Cuenca’s historic district. A rally will be held at San Francisco Plaza at the conclusion of the march.

In addition to the Cuenca city council and the Azuay prefecture, dozens of civic and professional organizations say they will join the march. “In a public referendum the citizens of Cuenca voted against mining that affects the water sources of the canton, and Loma Larga violates that mandate,” says Cuenca Mayor Cristian Zamora. “We will maintain our opposition until this project is discontinued.”

On Thursday, Mining Minister Inés Manzano insisted the government would not back down on Loma Larga plans. “I respect the feelings of the citizens of Cuenca but this project will proceed based on a rigorous process of technical reviews and compliance with court rulings,” she said. “Official studies have shown there will be minimal impact from the mine on water sources.”

In addition, Manzano warned that illegal miners will move into Quimsacocha if the Canadian mining company Dundee Previous Metals is not allowed to proceed with its sanctioned mine. “The people of Cuenca must ask themselves if they prefer criminal miners operating in the region, destroying the environment and polluting the water, or a legal mine that follows the rules.”

On Saturday, presidential spokeswoman Carolina Jaramillo appeared to tone down the official rhetoric, saying the government “continues to review” the environmental license granted to Dundee. Despite criticism of the environmental study that was sponsored by Dundee, the mining ministry has refused to accept a second study by the city of Cuenca which determined that Loma Larga would cause “extensive environment damage and contaminate water.”

Cuenca environmental attorney Yaku Pérez called Manzano’s claim that illegal miners would invade Quimsacocha if Dundee is not allowed to proceed a “thinly veiled threat,” adding that there is no illegal mining currently in the area. “What we know from years of experience is that illegal mining follows so-called legal mining, often working in open cooperation that is not challenged by the government.”

Pérez, who is a leader of the Indigenous Organizations of Azuay, has threated a general strike, including closure of highways leading to the Loma Larga site, if mining plans are not withdrawn.

Former mining ministry deputy director Jorge Aguilera says the government has “picked a fight it probably cannot win” in its promotion of Loma Larga. In a Quito radio interview Sunday, Aguilera questioned the validity of the ministry’s environmental study and claimed it was a mistake to grant a mining license at a site so close to Cuenca.

“Internationally, one of the rules of any extractive activity, whether it is mining or oil production, is to avoid a location close to a major city,” he said. “Beyond environmental considerations, you face political opposition that will be hard to defeat.”

Aguilera predicted the government would eventually be forced to drop the Loma Linda project. “The protests will continue to grow and make the mine impossible to defend and economically unfeasible.”