Costa Rican forests threatened by gold mine
One of the "Golden Rules" principles says mining companies should not operate in protected areas, fragile ecosystems, or other areas of high conservation or ecological value. Infinito Gold clearly did not get the message. They are trying to impose an open-pit gold mine on communities in the Agua y Paz (Water and Peace) Biosphere Reserve in Costa Rica.
The company's own studies have documented the presence of Endangered species like Geoffrey's spider monkey and Great Green Macaw. But that's not stopping Infinito. The mine and its threat to contaminate waterways would be only a few kilometers from the San Juan River that forms the international border with Nicaragua. But that's not stopping Infinito.
What is stopping Infinito is opposition by communities in Costa Rica. The Sala IV court may have ruled in favor of the company after the company gave the judges a tour of the site, but an injunction against the project is holding.
The opposition to the project even influenced Presidential candidates. The new President Laura Chinchilla declared a moratorium on gold mining in the country on her first day in office. But she can do more. She is currently evaluating removing the designation of the project as being of "national interest."
Please write to President Chincilla and ask her to stop the planned destructive Infinito Gold project.
Read more on
- Fuera de Crucitas ("Out of Crucitas")
- The planned Crucitas mine
- The 2007 Bellavista mine disaster in Costa Rica
- News about the President considering Crucitas (in Spanish)
Tagged with: no dirty gold, gold, crucitas, costa rica, biosphere reserve, biodiversity
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