A pyrrhic victory? An Ecuadorian town grapples with a divisive mine closure

Mining proponents are expecting to spot an summation successful enactment nether President Noboa, a right-wing campaigner who won re-election successful April.

In 2024, Noboa travelled to the World Exploration and Mining Convention successful Canada and signed six agreements worthy $4.8bn.

And conscionable this month, Noboa issued a statesmanlike decree that would dissolve the Ministry of Environment and fold its duties into the Ministry of Energy and Mining.

Critics pass these developments endanger to undercut biology causes and the close for Indigenous communities to person anterior consultation earlier improvement projects.

To forestall conflicts similar Rio Blanco's, experts emphasise that implementing these rights successful bully religion is key. They besides accidental communities request much resources, truthful that mining is not the lone mode retired of poverty.

"These places often person nary authorities support, leaving radical to fend for themselves," said Patricio Benalcázar, a sociology prof and mining struggle researcher astatine the University of Cuenca.

"The authorities should make programmes that amended people’s lives, supply basal utilities, schools, healthcare — and should assistance make different ways for radical to gain money, too mining."

Alfaro, however, believes that communities cannot trust connected the nationalist government's support. Activists, nonprofits, universities and others request to measurement in.

"Río Blanco is the champion illustration we person of a assemblage moving unneurotic to halt a large planetary mining project," helium said.

"But that doesn’t mean the adjacent steps volition beryllium easy. How bash you rebuild and heal families aft the industry’s damage? For a tiny spot similar Río Blanco, they can’t bash it alone."

Community members successful Rio Blanco stitchery for a Mother's Day lawsuit [Anastasia Austin/Al Jazeera]

Community members, however, are taking tiny steps to statesman healing the rifts the mining caused.

In May, Durazno — the section person — organised a Mother’s Day lawsuit to bring unneurotic Rio Blanco’s residents.

A parent of 4 herself, she felt the vacation could beryllium unifying. Still, the attendance was not what Durazno had hoped for.

As she watched a twelve children from pro- and anti-mining families play unneurotic successful a sunlit courtyard, she reflected connected the toll the struggle has taken.

"It took excessively overmuch to thrust mining out," she said. "People are bushed and don’t privation to perceive astir mining immoderate more. If the institution comes back, I don’t cognize if we’d person the spot to instrumentality them connected again."