Project
Alberto Peña Kay
Protecting the Santurban páramo from mining's damage
In the Andean region, high-mountain ecosystems known as páramos capture water from the fog and supply it to the lowlands. One such ecosystem is the Santurbán páramo, which provides fresh water to more than two million people in Colombia.
Santurbán, like the other páramos on the continent, also captures large amounts of carbon, making it a key ally in mitigating the climate crisis. It is also a refuge for hundreds of endangered species, including the iconic spectacled bear.
The land in and around the páramo contains gold and other minerals. This has put Santurbán in the spotlight of the multinational mining industry, which for decades has sought to establish large-scale projects in the ecosystem that threaten to degrade it.
The Committee for the Defense of Water and the Santurbán Páramo—a coalition of environmental advocates—has thwarted these ongoing attempts, with support from AIDA and other civil society organizations.
Background
The Santurbán páramo is located in the heart of the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, in the departments of Santander and Norte de Santander, at an elevation ranging from 2,200 to 4,290 meters above sea level.
It covers an area of 129,743 hectares and is home to 57 lakes. It serves as a habitat for 457 plant species and 293 species of vertebrate fauna.
There are mineral deposits in Santurbán, primarily gold, but also silver and copper. This explains the region’s mining tradition, particularly in the part of the páramo located in Santander, in the province of Soto Norte. The communities in the area have built their culture and identity around gold mining, which is mainly artisanal and small-scale.
But since the 1990s, the gold deposits in the páramo have also attracted foreign mining conglomerates seeking to develop large-scale projects. This has raised concerns among the population that relies on the Santurbán water sources, who have mobilized in defense of water, their land, and life.
Although national and international regulations prohibit mining in páramos, the Colombian government has granted mining concessions to transnational corporations in Santurbán.
Photo: Keishpixl / Pixabay.
The long struggle to protect the páramo
One of the companies that sought to develop large-scale mining in Santurbán is Eco Oro Minerals Corp.—formerly Greystar Resources—a Canadian company that intended to establish the Angostura open-pit mine there to extract gold and silver. Between 1994 and 1995, the company acquired its mining titles and conducted exploration. And in 2010, it applied for a mining permit.
That was the year AIDA became involved in defending the ecosystem, supporting the Committee for the Defense of Water and the Santurbán Páramo. Our legal work helped convince the Colombian government to deny the mine an environmental permit in May 2011.
In January 2013, the government designated a portion of the páramo (11,700 hectares) as a Regional Natural Park. That year—together with the committee and partner organizations—we carried out a campaign and advocacy efforts to urge the government to recognize the entire Santurbán area as a páramo ecosystem through a delimitation based on scientific criteria. In December 2014, the Ministry of the Environment established a delimitation that protected 76% of the páramo (98,954 hectares).
Furthermore, as a result of a litigation supported by AIDA, in February 2016, Colombia’s highest court reaffirmed that mining in páramos is prohibited.
That same year, in December, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group’s private sector arm, decided to divest from Eco Oro Minerals. This achievement was the result of a process that began in 2012, when the committee—advised and supported by AIDA and international partner organizations—filed a complaint before an independent accountability mechanism, which concluded that the IFC’s investment in the Angostura project failed to take into account the project’s social and environmental impacts, thereby contradicting the financial institution’s internal policies.
Also in 2016, Eco Oro Minerals filed an arbitration claim against the Colombian government with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), arguing that it had been adversely affected by government decisions aimed at protecting the country’s páramos, including the delimitation of Santurbán.
In 2017, the Constitutional Court invalidated the delimitation because the affected communities were not consulted. The high court ordered that a participatory delimitation be carried out.
And that year, a new threat to Santurbán emerged when the Canadian multinational Aris Mining applied for an environmental permit for Soto Norte, a gold mining project located near the páramo. Following citizen protests and technical objections, in October 2020, the National Environmental Licensing Authority shelved the project.
Photo: Aztlec.
Current situation
In March 2025, the Colombian government designated the western flank of the Santurbán massif as a temporary renewable natural resource reserve area, delimiting and protecting an area of 75,344.65 hectares. This resulted in a two-year suspension of the Soto Norte project. However, Aris Mining's contract to formalize Calimineros' small-scale mining activities through the purchase and processing of mineralized material remains in effect.
In addition, the Canadian mining company continues to move the project forward. In September 2025, it released its prefeasibility study, revising the mine’s original design.
Meanwhile, members of the Committee for the Defense of Water and the Santurbán Páramo face threats and stigmatization because of their work. In March 2025, UN Special Rapporteurs and the Working Group on Business and Human Rights denounced these incidents in communications sent to the governments of Colombia, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as to the companies Aris Mining and MDC Industry Holding Company LLC, the former co-owner of the Soto Norte project.
Regarding the arbitration claim filed by Eco Oro Minerals, in July 2024, ICSID ruled in favor of the Colombian government and rejected the Canadian company’s claim for USD 1.1 billion in compensation.
Concerning the delimitation of Santurbán, in July 2026, the Ministry of the Environment issued a resolution introducing the concept of "progressive delimitation." On that basis, the government proposes to progressively demarcate the páramo, covering 29,199 hectares across 19 municipalities—those where the participatory agreements required by the Constitutional Court in its 2017 ruling have already been finalized. It also proposes two measures on the creation and expansion of reserves to restrict mining in the ecosystem.
Learn more about the impacts of mining on the páramos of Latin America (in Spanish).
Partners:
Related projects
Toward environmental justice: 4 achievements for AIDA in 2022
Success stories are the result of processes that take time, perseverance and joint actions. Faced with the challenges of environmental degradation and the climate crisis, these precepts are more relevant than ever. They are a reminder that the defense of the environment is collective and long-term. For AIDA, 2022 was a year of important achievements in our efforts to contribute to environmental and climate justice in Latin America. These advances demonstrate the importance of collaboration and persistence. They are in turn precedents for litigation, advocacy and alliance-building in favor of the broader regional movement of which we are a part. 1. LA OROYA POLLUTION VICTIMS HEARD BY INTER-AMERICAN COURT People affected by toxic contamination from a metal smelter in the Andean city of La Oroya, Peru, presented their case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. More than 20 years after taking the case, AIDA succeeded in presenting their case before the international court and demonstrating the Peruvian government's responsibility in the violation of their rights. The eventual ruling is a historic opportunity to establish a key precedent upholding the right to a healthy environment in Latin America. LEARN MORE 2. DIGITAL PLATFORM STRENGTHENS CLIMATE LITIGATION IN LATIN AMERICA Climate litigation has the power to accelerate corporate and government accountability in the face of the climate crisis, and push actions to protect communities and ecosystems. To strengthen this growing movement, we created the Climate Litigation Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean, which currently displays more than 50 legal cases involving climate arguments. It is our contribution to facilitating the exchange of strategies and arguments among those who use the courts to defend the planet. LEARN MORE 3. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT CONTRIBUTES TO OCEAN RESILIENCE AIDA was part of the efforts of organizations, governments, academia and the private sector to reach a binding agreement at the World Trade Organization to curb harmful fisheries subsidies, including those that encourage illegal, overfished and unregulated fishing on the high seas. This will help reduce threats to the ocean, a key ally in addressing the climate crisis due to its ability to absorb the planet's excess heat and carbon dioxide emissions. LEARN MORE 4. REGIONAL ALLIANCE ELEVATES THE VOICE OF THE CLIMATE JUSTICE MOVEMENT In response to the need to change the narrative about the climate crisis and strengthen the voice of the movement for a just energy transition in the region, Presentes was born, an alliance coordinated by AIDA that brings together organizations, communities and environmental advocates. We joined together to communicate more strategically and reach more people through the exchange of knowledge and experiences, pedagogy, the use of digital tools and internal capacity building LEARN MORE We invite you to learn more about these achievements and AIDA's work during the year in our 2022 Annual Report
Read moreToward environmental justice: 4 achievements for AIDA in 2022
Success stories are the result of processes that take time, perseverance and joint actions. Faced with the challenges of environmental degradation and the climate crisis, these precepts are more relevant than ever. They are a reminder that the defense of the environment is collective and long-term. For AIDA, 2022 was a year of important achievements in our efforts to contribute to environmental and climate justice in Latin America. These advances demonstrate the importance of collaboration and persistence. They are in turn precedents for litigation, advocacy and alliance-building in favor of the broader regional movement of which we are a part. 1. LA OROYA POLLUTION VICTIMS HEARD BY INTER-AMERICAN COURT People affected by toxic contamination from a metal smelter in the Andean city of La Oroya, Peru, presented their case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. More than 20 years after taking the case, AIDA succeeded in presenting their case before the international court and demonstrating the Peruvian government's responsibility in the violation of their rights. The eventual ruling is a historic opportunity to establish a key precedent upholding the right to a healthy environment in Latin America. LEARN MORE 2. DIGITAL PLATFORM STRENGTHENS CLIMATE LITIGATION IN LATIN AMERICA Climate litigation has the power to accelerate corporate and government accountability in the face of the climate crisis, and push actions to protect communities and ecosystems. To strengthen this growing movement, we created the Climate Litigation Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean, which currently displays more than 50 legal cases involving climate arguments. It is our contribution to facilitating the exchange of strategies and arguments among those who use the courts to defend the planet. LEARN MORE 3. INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT CONTRIBUTES TO OCEAN RESILIENCE AIDA was part of the efforts of organizations, governments, academia and the private sector to reach a binding agreement at the World Trade Organization to curb harmful fisheries subsidies, including those that encourage illegal, overfished and unregulated fishing on the high seas. This will help reduce threats to the ocean, a key ally in addressing the climate crisis due to its ability to absorb the planet's excess heat and carbon dioxide emissions. LEARN MORE 4. REGIONAL ALLIANCE ELEVATES THE VOICE OF THE CLIMATE JUSTICE MOVEMENT In response to the need to change the narrative about the climate crisis and strengthen the voice of the movement for a just energy transition in the region, Presentes was born, an alliance coordinated by AIDA that brings together organizations, communities and environmental advocates. We joined together to communicate more strategically and reach more people through the exchange of knowledge and experiences, pedagogy, the use of digital tools and internal capacity building LEARN MORE We invite you to learn more about these achievements and AIDA's work during the year in our 2022 Annual Report
Read more
Organizations, coalitions, academia, and specialists support victims of toxic contamination in La Oroya
Experts filed 15 amicus briefs before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights upholding the central argument of the case: that the government of Peru is responsible for violating the human rights of residents of La Oroya for the lack of urgent and effective actions to address pollution from a metal smelter, and its harmful effects. San José, Costa Rica. Organizations, coalitions, academia, and specialists presented 15 legal briefs (Amicus curiae) before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to support the case of residents of La Oroya against the government of Peru, for human rights resulting from a metal plant spewing toxic pollution into the Andean city for nearly 90 years. The briefs contain solid evidence that support the central argument of the case: that the Peruvian government—by not taking urgent and effective action to address the pollutions and its effects—is responsible for the violation of the rights to life, health, personal integrity, childhood, and a healthy environment of the residents of La Oroya. This argument as expressed in a public audience on October 12 and 13, when the international court heard from witnesses, experts, victims, and government representatives. The briefs, sent to the Court between October 11 and 28, demonstrate that the importance of the case surpasses the Peruvian context and represents a historic opportunity to establish a key precedent in Latin America, and the world, that strengthens the right to a healthy environment and government’s role supervising business activities. One of the briefs was presented by the University Network for Human Rights in partnership with a panel of experts: five former authorities from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (Tracy Robinson, James Cavallaro, Paulo de Tarso Vannuchi, Flávia Piovesan and Paulo Abrão) and three former Special Rapporteurs to the United Nations (John Knox, James Anaya, and Juan Méndez). Briefs were presented by Peruvian organizations— including the Technical Committee for Environmental and Human Health and the Civil Society Platform on Business and Human Rights—as well as from other countries in Latin America—the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (Mexico), Defensoria Ambiental (Chile), and Justice for Nature (Costa Rica)—and international organizations such as Earthjustice and The Center for Justice and Environmental Law. Furthering the international scope of the hearing, The Working Group for Strategic Litigation of Red-DESC and the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights. From the academic sector, support came from the Human Rights Research and Education Center of the University of Ottawa (Canada), the Clinic for Human Rights of the Postgraduate Law School of the Pontificia Catholic University of Paraná (Brazil), and the Legal Clinic of Environmental and Public Health of the University of the Andes (Colombia). Other writings were presented by experts on the issues that the case addresses: David R. Boyd, Special Rapporteur to the UN on human rights and the environment, medical anthropologist Susana Ramírez, and attorneys Carla Luzuriaga-Salinas, Macarena Martinic Cristensen, and Ezio Costa Cordella. Following the hearing and the briefs, the next step in the legal process is to present written closing arguments a potential visit to La Oroya by the judges from the Court. The sentence, which cannot be appealed, is expected within six months. press contact Víctor Quintanilla (Mexico), AIDA, [email protected], +525570522107
Read more