Moving to resolve two mining controversies, the Peruvian government hired three experts to review an international consortium’s plans for a mine in the country’s northern highlands and issued two decrees cracking down on wildcat miners. The highland mine—a US$4.8 billion project in Peru’s northern Cajamarca region—was begun in October, then suspended the next month after local communities held protests. It would cover 20 square kilometers (7.7 square miles) of hills, wetlands and lakes more than 3,700 meters (12,140 feet) above sea level. While some local farmers welcome the mine as a source of jobs and development, others worry it will dry up wetlands and create water shortages downstream. The area forms the headwaters of three rivers that drain toward the Amazon basin... [Log in to read more]
