Frequent questions

The Chocó Andino is one of the last forests in Quito and is located in the northwest of the city.

This area has been declared by UNESCO as the seventh biosphere reserve in Ecuador.

• In the Chocó Andino are the last clean forests and rivers of Quito.
• It is an area of global importance for its biodiversity, which includes nine protective forests, four conservation and sustainable use areas (ACUS), the Andean bear ecological corridor and more than 35 nature reserves.
• The area houses:
  • 150 species of mammals,
  • 90 species of reptiles,
  • 120 species of amphibians,
  • 640 species of birds
  • More than 3,000 species of plants, which represent 12% of all the plants in Ecuador.
• The Chocó Andino de Quito has a very important cultural heritage, especially of the Yumbo, KituKara and Inca peoples. 
• At least 528 archaeological sites have been found in the area.

The development of mining activities in areas as sensitive as the Chocó Andino can generate an irremediable impact, permanently affecting biodiversity and the territory.

The impact of the Cóndor Mirador project in Zamora Chinchipe is a clear example:

At the end of the mine's life, a total of 491 million cubic meters of contaminated sludge will accumulate (3 times the San Pablo Lake) and 438 million tons of solid waste (5 times the Panecillo).

Water consumption will be 21 million liters of water per day or 250 liters per second. That is equivalent to all of Ibarra's water consumption.

No. It is impossible to speak of a "sustainable" or "responsible" mining, because the pollution caused is inevitable.

Even globally and with the use of the most advanced technology, pollution continues to be one of the biggest problems in mining. 

Just an example:

The Cóndor Mirador project is a clear example: 

• At the end of the mine's life, a total of 491 million cubic meters of contaminated sludge will accumulate (3 times the San Pablo Lake) and 438 million tons of solid waste (5 times the Panecillo). 
• Water consumption will be 21 million liters of water per day or 250 liters per second. That is equivalent to all the water consumption of Ibarra.

No.

Official figures show that the total income from all mining projects would not be more than 0.8% of the money that enters the State.

On the other hand, the money produced by mining is very changeable because it depends on international prices. In addition, mining concentrates wealth in a few hands.

Yes, but very few and of very poor quality.

In 2019, the same energy minister said that the mega-mining sector will generate 32,000 jobs. Tourism, for example, generates 12 times more jobs.

For the construction stage of the mine, mining generates poor-quality, temporary employment, with long working hours and minimum payments, without taking into account the effects that the mine generates on the health of workers.

Organic agriculture: More than 100 organic products are produced in the Chocó Andino de Quito. Several of these products are exported abroad: coffee, chocolate and brown sugar.

Agroecological tourism: There are 72 tourist attractions in the area. 25 are cultural attractions and 47 are natural sites.