Summary
Residents of local communities in Cajas Massif Biosphere Reserve filed a petition and presented it to the Ombudsman’s Office, stating that the Río Blanco Mining project affects 615 hectares of the buffer area of the Cajas National Park and 70.5 hectares of the Molleturo-Mollepongo protective forest. They also argued that the prior consultation process was not fulfilled. The petition claimed that the Río Blanco mining project violated the rights of nature and indigenous peoples. The state body recommended the Ministry of the Environment verify if the mining project affects the Cajas National Park and that prior consultation must be done in accordance with international instruments and judgments despite the absence of internal regulations that regulate it.