Supporting Community-based Campaigns

We work with partners from around the world, including national NGOs, local community-based organizations, indigenous groups, farmers' associations, and religious leaders to support the rights of communities living near proposed or existing mines and to hold companies accountable for social and environmental impacts.

We support local campaigns by providing technical assistance, publicizing local concerns, conducting research, and informing corporate investors and shareholders about risks associated with company practices. Some examples of our work include:

• Commissioning an independent evaluation of Meridian Gold's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Esquel gold project in Patagonia, Argentina. The EIA analysis revealed the company had failed to consider the long-term impacts of the project. Local residents, who voted overwhelmingly to oppose the mine, have succeeded in halting the project, thus far.
• Helping to build an international coalition of mining activists, the Global Mining Campaign network. The network consists of over 100 individuals and organizations monitoring the mining industry in 40 different countries.

Earthworks International Team works with the following communities:

Esquel, Argentina Despite local objections, Meridian Gold wants to open this pristine Patagonian region and world-renowned fishing destination to mining that would employ nearly three tons of cyanide every day.	Costa Rica Central Sun Mining defied warnings by scientists and community members to build a risky open pit gold mine in a steep, rainy area. Disaster struck and further impacts are feared at Bellavista and elsewhere.
Ecuador Residents of the Intag cloud forest fight to protect their ecologically diverse region from a copper mine. Facing harassment from paramilitaries, they have developed alternative indutries such as tourism.	Ghana The proposal for the Akyem open-pit mine in a Forest Reserve faces much opposition. Meanwhile, more than five cyanide spills in the past decade have polluted water supplies in the heavily-mined Wassa Disrict.
Buyat Bay, Indonesia Eight years and 400 million tons of mine waste later, Newmont's Minahasa Raya gold mine closed down, leaving Buyat Bay villagers to contend with the environmental and health effects.	Issky-Kul, Kyrgyzstan Multiple chemical spills, worker injuries, and deaths have occurred at Kyrgyzstan's largest gold mine, which is financially-backed by several international financial institutions including the World Bank.
Cajamarca, Peru Yanacocha, Latin America's largest gold mine was allegedly secured by Newmont through high-level bribery. Burdened by local protest and a catastrophic mercury spill, Newmont calls Yanacocha its "crown jewel."	Tambogrande, Peru Uniting to defend their farms and town against gold mining, the citizens of Tambogrande not only put a stop to Manhattan Minerals, but also inspired democratic action throughout a region with much mining activity.
Rosia Montana, Romania Gabriel Resources wants to build Europe's largest open-pit gold mine but continues to face stiff local and international opposition. The region has already suffered several mining disasters.	Western Shoshone Nation, USA Nearly 10 percent of the world's gold production -- and 64 percent of US production -- comes from Western Shoshone lands, with devastating impacts to their sacred places and scarce water resources.