Tens of Thousands Protest Gold Mine in Ecuador, Where Leadership Is Bullish on Development

The Stream, September 18, 2025: Tens of Thousands Protest Gold Mine in Ecuador, Where Leadership Is Bullish on Development

Agriculture and energy are two thirsty sectors in Texas. The latest State Water Plan anticipates welcoming roughly 22 million more residents by 2070. The newest State Water Plan warns that water supplies will fall 1.6 million acre-feet annually in 50 years. In short, there will be many more people and considerably less water in 2070. Photo © J. Carl Ganter / Circle of Blue

Global Rundown

• Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in  Ecuador  this week to protest a gold mine that many say would pollute a crucial regional water source.
• For the third consecutive year,  Colombia  is the world’s leader in environmental defender deaths, according to a new global report for 2024. 
• Groundwater pumping in central  Texas  will be mandatorily restricted after a major aquifer is reclassified to “exceptional drought” status.
• In  England  and  Wales , sewage is spilling into rivers in national parks at more than twice the rate occurring in non-protected areas.

The Lead

An estimated 90,000 people marched through the streets of Cuenca, Ecuador this week to protest a mining project that residents say will contaminate a major source of drinking water if operations begin, Reuters reports. 

In June, the Ecuadorian government issued an environmental license to Dundee Precious Metals, allowing the Canadian company to begin construction on the $419 million Loma Larga gold mine in the southern province of Azuay. Over 12 years, the mine is expected to yield more than $6 billion worth of gold and generate more than 1,000 jobs. 

But these gains will come at a significant environmental cost. The mining concession lies within the UNESCO-designated El Cajas Massif Biosphere Reserve, which spans 2.4 million acres and is additionally listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance. Within this reserve, high-altitude moors “act as giant sponges and supply the bulk of drinking water to major cities there.”

Concerned residents chanted “Water is worth more than anything!” during this week’s protests, continuing a mounting opposition that has thus far been a measured success. In August, Ecuador’s energy minister suspended Loma Larga’s construction until Dundee Precious Metals completes an environmental assessment plan. Independent reviews have cast scrutiny on the company’s own impact study, and provincial leaders continue to reject the project.

The fates of Loma Larga and the region’s waters are being decided during a contentious era of the country’s environmental movement. In August, President Daniel Noboa signed an executive order to fold the government’s Environment Ministry into the Ministry of Energy and Mining, a move that signaled national interest in creating partnerships with foreign mining companies.

Taxonomy

• Metals
• Groundwater
• Mining Development
• Energy
• Mine Water Management
• Mining And Metal Industry Effluents
• Ecuador