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Photo: Ana Rodríguez Carrington (CC BY 2.0)Victory: Biosphere Reserve in Baja California Saved from Toxic Mine
Known as an “ecological treasure house,” the Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve at the southern tip of Baja California will not be spoiled by toxic mine waste, thanks in part to AIDA’s advocacy.
The reserve was once an island, so it’s home to rare plant and animal species. Canyons, swimming holes, and hot springs can be found in its granite mountain range and lowland tropical forests.
Thanks to AIDA and our partners in Mexico, the Mexican government denied an environmental permit for the Paredones Amarillos gold mine, halting the project for the time being. To protect the biosphere reserve, AIDA helped educate community groups and decision makers about the mine's risks. This helped to build the political momentum necessary for the government to deny the permit.
To extract gold from the mountains, the Canadian company Vista Gold proposed to carve out huge quantities of rock—each ton containing a mere gram of gold–-grind it into sludge, and treated it with cyanide. The company planned to dump massive amounts of toxic waste (called “tailings”) behind a dam intended to store it forever. Unfortunately, tailings dams can break for various reasons, as happened at Bolivia’s Porco mine in 1996. When that dam collapsed, more than a quarter million metric tons of tailings flooded the river and contaminated 500 miles (800 km) of waterways in Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay.
The mine could also cause acid mine drainage. When sulfur-containing rocks are exposed to air and water, sulfuric acid forms, which causes toxic heavy metals to dissolve and drain into the watershed. The risk of acid mine drainage in Sierra La Laguna was significant and the human and environmental cost would have been tremendous: thousands of people and countless wildlife in the reserve rely on its water for survival.
Depleting freshwater is a further threat because mines use tremendous quantities of water. Owing to the scarcity of water in the reserve, Vista Gold proposed to build a plant on the Pacific coast to remove salt from sea water in a highly energy-intensive process, and then pump the water 45 km to the mine site. The desalination plant posed a threat to the endangered leatherback sea turtle.
Singly and together, the mine’s impacts would have devastated a rare jewel, a unique and lush paradise worth saving for future generations.
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Sea turtle populations show sign of a comeback
Before 2008, hawksbill turtles had virtually disappeared from the Eastern Pacific. But small-scale conservation efforts enabled their return to the shores of El Salvador and Nicaragua, where researchers found them again laying eggs and slowly beginning to rebuild their population. Sea turtles are migratory animals. They spend most of their lives at sea, nesting on the beaches of various countries along their route. Among the main threats to their health are unsustainable fishing practices (they often get trapped in fishing nets) and inadequately developed projects in marine and coastal areas. The appearance of these turtles on Central American beaches, among other such events, demonstrates the success of small-scale conservation efforts, and the need for them to continue. Signs of recovery According to the recent study, Global sea turtle conservation successes, over the last decade sea turtle hatcheries have helped some populations rebound after historic declines. That’s the case of olive ridley turtles in the northeast Indian Ocean and of green turtles in the South Central Atlantic. After years of implementation, the protection of beaches, the regulation of fishing, and the creation of marine protected areas have helped improve sea turtle populations in waters around the world, according to researchers. The study also shows that, with adequate protections, even small populations of sea turtles have a chance of survival. Researchers found, for example, that in the area of Hawaii called French Frigate Shoals, the population of nesting green sea turtles increased from around 200 in 1973 – when the Endangered Species Act was created – to upwards of 2,000 in 2012. Green turtles are now considered a species of “minor concern” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Our contribution Sea turtle conservation, like that of other animals and plants, requires that organizations, communities, and governments work together. Such collaboration is a main tenant of AIDA’s work. In 1998, we organized a campaign to get the signatures needed for the negotiation of an international treaty to promote the protection, conservation and recovery of sea turtle populations. We are currently working to ensure that governments who signed the treaty are operating in compliance with it. We also helped save green turtles in Costa Rica, and are currently working to protect the Veracruz Reef System in Mexico, in whose warm and shallow waters hundreds of hawksbill and Atlantic ridley turtles swim. Both species are at risk due to the expansion of the Port of Veracruz, a project that would cause serious damage to the expansive reef system. Much work remains Despite the impressive recovery of several species of turtle, there are others that remain in need of protection, as their numbers continue to decline worldwide. This is the case, according to the study, of both the leatherback turtle in the eastern and western Pacific and of the flatback turtle in Australia. A new beacon of hope for turtles can be found in the development, before the United Nations, of a treaty to protect the high seas, those international waters that belong to no country (but make up two-thirds of the world’s oceans). Sea turtles, sharks, whales and birds live in these waters or travel them as part of their migratory routes. Through our active role in the treaty’s development, we seek to create Marine Protected Areas to ensure the high seas remain a safe home for not just sea turtles, but for the many species of plants and animals that contribute to the health of the oceans and support the global food supply.
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Celebrating 7 Advances to Close Out 2017
As the year comes to a close, we're happy to share with you several recent advances we've made in the name of environmental protection in Latin America. Each project we launch or case we win is a step toward a more just region, and a healthier planet for our children. Because of your support, we: 1. Saved Colombia’s Largest Coastal Wetland We successfully petitioned Colombia to list the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta among the world's most at-risk wetlands, opening up the resources needed for its recovery. Learn More 2. Launched the Bolivian Environmental Justice Network We founded a coalition of environmental and human rights organizations in Bolivia to support citizens’ efforts to defend the environment and those who depend on its health. 3. Campaigned to Protect Patagonia from Salmon Farms We petitioned Chile to investigate damage being done by salmon farm operations in Southern Patagonia, and launched a citizens’ campaign to raise awareness of the growing threat. Learn More 4. Secured Healthcare for Victims of Toxic Pollution We secured specialized medical care for residents of La Oroya, Peru, whose lives and health have long been affected by a heavy-polluting metal smelter that operates beside their homes. Learn More 5. Protected Sea Turtles on the High Seas We represented Latin American citizens and organizations in the development of a United Nations treaty to protect the shared parts of our ocean and the rich life within. Learn More 6. Stimulated Divestment from Mining in a Protected Wetland We convinced the World Bank to withdraw support from a gold mine in the Santurbán páramo, a protected ecosystem and water source for millions of Colombians. Learn More 7. Advised Rural Town in the Lead-Up to a Mining Ban We provided legal advice and scientific analysis to the people of Cajamarca, Colombia, who then voted by a margin of 98% to ban all mining activities from their territory. Learn More
Read moreCelebrating 7 Advances to Close Out 2017
As the year comes to a close, we're happy to share with you several recent advances we've made in the name of environmental protection in Latin America. Each project we launch or case we win is a step toward a more just region, and a healthier planet for our children. Because of your support, we: 1. Saved Colombia’s Largest Coastal Wetland We successfully petitioned Colombia to list the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta among the world's most at-risk wetlands, opening up the resources needed for its recovery. Learn More 2. Launched the Bolivian Environmental Justice Network We founded a coalition of environmental and human rights organizations in Bolivia to support citizens’ efforts to defend the environment and those who depend on its health. 3. Campaigned to Protect Patagonia from Salmon Farms We petitioned Chile to investigate damage being done by salmon farm operations in Southern Patagonia, and launched a citizens’ campaign to raise awareness of the growing threat. Learn More 4. Secured Healthcare for Victims of Toxic Pollution We secured specialized medical care for residents of La Oroya, Peru, whose lives and health have long been affected by a heavy-polluting metal smelter that operates beside their homes. Learn More 5. Protected Sea Turtles on the High Seas We represented Latin American citizens and organizations in the development of a United Nations treaty to protect the shared parts of our ocean and the rich life within. Learn More 6. Stimulated Divestment from Mining in a Protected Wetland We convinced the World Bank to withdraw support from a gold mine in the Santurbán páramo, a protected ecosystem and water source for millions of Colombians. Learn More 7. Advised Rural Town in the Lead-Up to a Mining Ban We provided legal advice and scientific analysis to the people of Cajamarca, Colombia, who then voted by a margin of 98% to ban all mining activities from their territory. Learn More
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