Indigenous communities of the Tucabaca Municipal Wildlife Reserve and Natural Heritage Conservation Unit —located in the municipality of Roboré, department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia— managed to stop mining prospecting and exploration activities in their territory by the company Walfremar SRL.
In July 2024, the communities filed a class action lawsuit against the company and against the Mining Administrative Jurisdictional Authority (AJAM), an entity dependent on the Ministry of Mining that authorized the mining activities.
This action expressly highlighted the importance of considering the climate dimension in classic mining cases: “Given the climate crisis affecting the planet and whose effects are hitting the communities most vulnerable to climate change, it is necessary for the State to guarantee and respect the exercise of collective rights over the environment and common goods of indigenous peoples,” the lawsuit reads.
The communities argued that the authorization violated the rights of Indigenous peoples enshrined in the Bolivian Constitution, ILO Convention 169, and the American Convention on Human Rights. They demanded compliance with existing environmental regulations in their municipality, as well as respect for their decisions, since they had already rejected mining activity in their territory.
On August 5, 2024, the prospecting and exploration permit for the company was revoked.
More information here .
Indigenous communities of the Tucabaca Municipal Wildlife Reserve and Natural Heritage Conservation Unit —located in the municipality of Roboré, department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia— managed to stop mining prospecting and exploration activities in their territory by the company Walfremar SRL.
In July 2024, the communities filed a class action lawsuit against the company and against the Mining Administrative Jurisdictional Authority (AJAM), an entity dependent on the Ministry of Mining that authorized the mining activities.
This action expressly highlighted the importance of considering the climate dimension in classic mining cases: “Given the climate crisis affecting the planet and whose effects are hitting the communities most vulnerable to climate change, it is necessary for the State to guarantee and respect the exercise of collective rights over the environment and common goods of indigenous peoples,” the lawsuit reads.
The communities argued that the authorization violated the rights of Indigenous peoples enshrined in the Bolivian Constitution, ILO Convention 169, and the American Convention on Human Rights. They demanded compliance with existing environmental regulations in their municipality, as well as respect for their decisions, since they had already rejected mining activity in their territory.
On August 5, 2024, the prospecting and exploration permit for the company was revoked.
More information here .