‘Our territory is our life’: one struggle against mining in Ecuador
by David Hill from Environment | The Guardian on (#3M9X6)
The A'I Cofan in the Amazon fight back against small-scale gold-miners invading their land and new, large-scale concessions upriver
Three A'I Cofan men were staring down at a pit of rocks, dead foliage and filthy water where two gold-panners were working. Beyond was a sluice and hoses running down to the rushing, green waters of the River Aguarico. To the right, there was mud, more rocks, more equipment, a makeshift tent and camp. Behind, to the left, a Hyundai excavator and a track running downriver.
No more than two weeks before, no track had existed and all this had been primary forest. Now that was gone. Only an area about 110 x 50 metres, you might say, but this is how gold rushes start.