The case for Rights of Nature in face of the Mirador Open Pit Copper Mining Project

Ecuador is facing one of its most challenging cases for Rights of Nature as the government moves ahead with a contract for open pit mining in Ecuador. Please add your support by signing a petition of concerned citizens athttp://www.thepetitionsite.com/888/727/673/support-rights-of-nature-in-ecuador/.

In March 2012, the government of Ecuador signed a contract with Ecuacorrientes (ECSA), a company of Chinese capital to extract copper, gold and silver from the Condor Highland in  southeastern Ecuador. Today the humid tropical forest of the Condor Highland is one of the richest and most biodiverse areas of South America.The proposed Mirador Project includes 6 open pit industrial mining concessions in an area encompassing almost 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres). Mirador’s open pit mines will eliminate all the vegetation and the superficial soil layer of the mined area including 4,000 species of vascular plants that contain the richest biodiversity in South America.  Over 6,000 hectares (15,000 acres) of protected forest in the Condor Highland will be affected. The strong case highlights the fact that Walsh Consultant, hired by ECSA to make the Environmental Impact Assessment, determined that species of amphibians and reptiles, endemic to the zone could go extinct since the fragile habitats which their life depends on will be completely removed with the project and water sources and aquifers will be polluted. In spite of this report the Environmental License was given and the contract signed.

Environmental, human rights, and indigenous organizations along with local community members from the Condor region in Ecuador have joined together to file a lawsuit to stop the Mirador Mining Project and protect fragile ecosystems in the area. The suit claims that the mine would violate the protected rights of ecosystems guaranteed in Articles 71-73 on Rights of Nature in the Ecuador Constitution. The case is now being analyzed by the 25th Civil Court of Pichincha against the Ministry of Non Renewable Resources, the Ministry of Environment and Ecuacorriente with the plaintiffs asking to stop the Mirador Mining Project using the precautionary principle to guarantee Rights of Nature, Right to Water and Right to a Decent Life.Read the complete summary of actions being taken and the case upholding Rights of Nature visit at The Case for Rights of Nature in the face of the Mirador Mine andProtect Ecuador.  Additional information is included in blog posts on the Global Alliance site.

From our Members

Rights of Nature interview on KFPA 94.1 radio. How would environmental protection, both in California and around the world, change if nature were given legal rights to exist and thrive? Terra Verde explores the Rights of Nature movement with Linda Sheehan of Earth Law Center and Shannon Biggs of Global Exchange.

CELDF announces Tree Media is partnering with CELDF to make a film called We The People 2.0, about CELDF’s grassroots organizing and community partners. The film trailer was just released!  Learn more at: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/324241

So Your Community’s Going to Be Fracked, Mined … Fill in the blank SO YOUR COMMUNITY’S GOING TO BE FRACKED, MINED…CELDF’S new Organizing Primer:  Check out a short video delineating how a structure of law has developed that stands in the way of us saying “no” to harmful activities such as fracking, and prevents us from building sustainable food, energy, water, and other systems.  Narrated by Executive Director Thomas Linzey. http://celdf.org/so-your-community-is-going-to-be-fracked-mined-or-fill-in-the-blank

The most recent YES! Magazine is entitled What Would Nature Do? This latest issue is filled with thought provocative articles looking at our lives and culture through the lens of the question “What would Nature do?”

• Co-founder David Korten raised poignant question in his article:  What Would a Down-to-Earth Economy Look Like?  Clearly this is a pivotal question for our times and for our advocacy for recognizing the Rights of Nature.
• Dr. Vandana Shiva provides global perspectives on Rights of Nature and her profound lessons from nature in All I Need to Know I Learned In the Forest.

Tikkun’s January 28 Issue includes Rights of Nature and an Earth Community Economy by Osprey Orielle Lake presents the case that Rights of Nature framework offers a foundation upon which healthy economic principles and sustainability can be built.

Shannon Biggs and Randy Hayes recently publishedBeyond Personhood: Why Corporations Love the Constitution More Than You do

Want a quick reference on global Rights of Nature/Earth Law actions and organizations around the world?  Earth Law Center and Gaia Foundation have both created global maps! Navigate your way around the global Rights of Nature movement at: EarthLawCenter – Earth Community and Gaia Foundation Earth Law Network.
Save the Date!
The Global Alliance is planning an international Rights of Nature Conference to be held during 4th quarter 2013 to collectively examine the lessons learned from the expanding implementations of Rights of Nature around the world and to broaden our framework of action to further galvanize the global earth rights movement.  Watch for more details in the coming months!

Global Exchange’s Community Rights Program is embarking on a 7-day speaking tour from April 15-22. The tour will visit impacted California communities from San Francisco to San Diego and expose the reality of fracking in the state. They will engage community members in the movement to oppose and stop fracking. If you live in California, join them on one of the tour stops.

Australian Wild Law Alliance continues its Roadshow Series: 1 day workshop in Sydney, 3 May 2013
AWLA is hosting a 1 day Wild Law Workshop in Sydney on Friday 3^rd May 2013. More details will be available soon at www.Wildlaw.org.au.  This will be the third workshop in the ‘AWLA Roadshow’ series. In this exciting series of workshops, AWLA is travelling to each State and Territory during 2012 and 2013, to open up spaces for discussion and action relating to Wild Law and Earth Jurisprudence. AWLA visited Melbourne in August 2012, Adelaide in November 2012 and will be visiting Darwin and Alice Springs in May 2013.

Australian Wildlaw Conference 2013 – Brisbane (South Bank), 27-29 September 2013
AWLA is pleased to announce that the dates have been set for the annual Australian Wild Law Conference in 2013. The conference will be a multi-disciplinary event, and will explore the theme of ‘law and governance for living within our ecological limits’. How do we change our current economic, political and legal systems to create human societies that live in a harmonious relationship with the Earth community? For more information, visit ourconference webpage and our facebook page.

Evolving Earth Law - Findhorn, Moray, Scotland
A Findhorn Community Event Evolving our legal and governance systems in the context of our life-support system, the Earth – Where are we now, where are we going? 11-12 May 2012 (date to be confirmed), Venue: Findhorn, Moray, Scotland, IV36, Time: 9.30am – 5pm. For more information visit Wholistic Law

Thank you for your ongoing support and interest!

Robin

Robin Milam
Administrative Director