CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS 2020-2021 

BHP'S AGGRESSIVE PUSH INTO INTAG

It was an intense beginning to 2020 for front-liners protecting rainforests and communities in northwestern Ecuador.

BHP, the world's biggest mining company, proved they were willing to do almost anything to get into communities to start their drilling - including lying, cheating and surrounding themselves with military police.

RIC helped to fund numerous community assemblies, which resulted in a legal document containing resolutions to be presented to governmental, human rights and environmental bodies.

Peruse the MRAG home page for more media links, reports and photos.

See also our report in The Ecologist: here

Resisting BHP in the community of Cazarpamba, 2020. Image: Carlos Zorrilla

Putting Ecuador's mining problems on the global map

In 2021, we collaborated with international alliance Yes to Life No to Mining, to put the serious mining situation in Ecuador on the global map with regard to the push for copper for the "Green Energy" revolution. Mining companies - especially Australian - are greenwashing their environmental and human rights abuses in Ecuador in terms of needing to mine critical minerals for net zero. 

This 2021 report published by two of our campaigners details violent scenes in the small town of Buenos Aires, where the company Hanrine (owned by Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart) forced its way into the community. 

In November we ran a workshop at the COP26 People's Conference, bringing frontline speakers from Ecuador to join mining activists from other parts of the global north and south impacted by Australian mining companies.