An Ecuadorian court has blocked the Intag Valley copper mine in an important ruling enforcing the rights of Nature under Ecuador's constitution. A new constitution was adopted in 2008 to recognizing the right of natural ecosystems to exist, thrive and evolve, and provide for consultation with communities that have the right to defend Nature. Ecuador is the first nation to adopt such a constitutional provision in the world. The Intag people have been fighting mining projects in this biodiverse cloud forest for thirty years. Mining licenses belonging to Chile's Codelco and Ecuador's Empresa Nacional Miners were revoked by the Imabura Provincial Court on March 29th. Two other notable cases utilized the rights of Nature provision to stop projects marking Ecuador as unfriendly to transnational projects that substantially impact natural areas.
The tropical Andes' cloud forests are the world's most diverse ecosystem out of thirty-six "hotspots" scientifically identified around the world. The mining concession included the headwaters of forty-three rivers and streams. It is the home of the endangered long-nose harlequin frog and other unique amphibians and endangered species found nowhere else.
Atelopus longirostris was considered extinct until it was rediscovered in the Junin Reserve within the mining concession. Concession owners used around 400 police and military personnel to enforce the miners' presence. It appears the fight is not completely over. Codelco could appeal to the nation's Constitutional Court. Companies like Codelco come and go, but the valuable minerals remain in the ground. An environmental leader said that this is the sixth time a transnational mining company has had to give up their claim in the Intag Valley. Because of its beauty and biodiversity the valley has become a destination for ecotourists.
