On September 25th Galo Chiriboga, the Minister of Mines and Petroleum, ordered Ascendant Copper Corporation of Canada to suspend all activities within their three concessions in the Intag region due to violations of the mining law. The law requires mining companies to seek authorization from the municipalities before proceeding with mining activities. In this case, the municipal government of Cotacachi never authorized Ascendant to undertake activities. This latest government decision sets a new precedent for a majority of the mining concessions in Ecuador, since it is believed that most of these firms are operating without local authorization.
Since 2001, Greengrants has supported a variety of groups with over $25,000 in small grants to campaign against Ascendant mining company and poor mining practices in Ecuador.
For the full story visit our grantee’s website: Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag.