Protecting Your CommunityAgainst Mining Companies and

Other Extractive Industries

A Guide for Community Organizers

2009

By Carlos Zorrilla

With Arden Buck, Paula Palmer and David Pellow

i

Introduction ii

1. AboutMining 1

1A. Definitions 1

1B. TypicalStepsintheMiningProcess 1

1C. ImpactsofMiningontheCommunity 3

2. HowtoFightBack 6

2A. Prepare 6

2B. BuildLocalOpposition 7

2C. FormAlliances 10

2D. UsetheLawandthePoliticalProcess 11

2E. ObstructtheProcess 12

2F. Publicity—SpreadtheWord 13

2G. OrganizeGlobally 15

2H. DirectAction 16

2I. IfMiningGoesForward 17

3. CompanyTacticsandCommunityCountermeasures 18

4. ConclusionandCaseHistories 22

5. Resources 23

AppendixA:UsingLocalMedia 26

Photos 27

PublishedbyGlobalResponse,POBox7490,Boulder,CO80306USA

tel.+303-444-0306•www.globalresponse.org

SpecialthankstotheMinnesotaGlobalJusticeProjectforprovidingkeyresources.

Contents

ii

Miningandotherextractiveindustriesareamongthemostdestructiveactivitiesontheplanet,especiallyforindigenousandfarmingcommunities.Theminer-als,metals,fuel,andtimberthatextractiveindustriesseekareveryprofitable,soresistingthemrequireshardwork.

Althoughminingcompaniesarepowerful,theyarealsovulnerable.Therearewaystostopthem.Itmaytakeyears,buttheresultsareworthit.Atstakeistheculturalsurvivalandwell-beingofyourcommunity,yourenvironment,andyourabilitytomakealiving—nowandforyearstocome.

Manycommunitiesfacingthesechallengeshaveorganizedagainstthecompaniesbyforminglocal,national,andinternationalactivistnetworks.Theyshareinformationandworktogethertostoptheharmthatextractiveindustriescause.Andinmanycasestheyhavesucceededinstoppingtheminingorreducingitsimpact.

About this guide

Thisguidedescribesaspectsoftheminingprocess,thedangersyouandyourcommunityfacewhenminingcompaniesseektooperateinyourcommu-nity,andthemanywaysyoucanfightback.Itisintendedforusebyregional/nationalleaderswhocanworkwithlocalcommunityleaderstoplanlocalactions,andwhocanalsodoworkatthegovern-mental,national,andinternationallevels.

Therearelikelymoreactionsdescribedherethanresourcesavailabletocarrythemout.Don’tgetoverwhelmed.Rather,treattheguideasamenuofoptions.Startbychoosingthosethatyouthinkwillrequiretheleasteffortandbemosteffectiveforyoursituation.Theeffectivenessoftheseactionswilldependonthelocalsituationandonnationalandregionalidiosyncrasies.

Weprovideexamplesofcommunitieswhofoughtbacksuccessfully.Ourhopeisthatwiththisguideandtheirexamples,youtoocansucceedinprotect-ingyourcommunityagainstthesedangers.

This Guide is Not Only For Mining!

Althoughwerefertominingcompanies,mostofthetacticsandcountermeasuresdescribedherealsoapplyequallywelltootherextractiveandexploitativeactivities,suchas:oilandgas,miner-als,logging,allkindsofpollutingindustries,andbighydroelectricdams.Mostactivitiesproposedbylargecorporations,althoughtheypromiselocalbenefits,ultimatelydevastatelocalcommunitiesanddamagetheirsurroundings.Theyneedtoberesisted.

Acknowledgements

MostofthematerialinthisGuidecamefromtheexperienceoftheorganizationDECOIN,www.decoin.org(DefensayConservaciónEcologicadeIntag/IntagDefenseandEcologicalConservation).FoundedbyauthorCarlosZorrilla,DECOINsuccess-fullyfoughtofftwoattemptstoestablishanopenpitcoppermineinthelovelyandfragileIntagcloudforestregionofEcuador.Wearegratefultothemanycolleaguesandfriends(toonumeroustolisthere)whohelpedreviewandresearchthisguidebookandwhoprovidedphotosandfundingforit.

Author affiliations:CarlosZorrillaisthecofound-erofDECOIN.ArdenBuckisaboardmemberofGlobalResponse.PaulaPalmerisexecutivedirectorofGlobalResponse.DavidPellowisthefounderanddirectoroftheMinnesotaGlobalJusticeProject.

Feedback wanted

Weareconsideringprintingasecondeditionlaterthisyear,whichwouldincludeanyrelevantmodi-ficationsthatseemappropriate.Wewelcomecomments,suggestions,andcorrectionsthatyouthinkmightbehelpfulthenexttimearound.Pleasesendtoaction(at)globalresponse.org.Thankyou.

Introduction

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�A. Definitions

Underground mining,alsocalledsubsurfacemining,involvesdigginganddrillingintothegroundtoremovethedesiredminerals.Thisformofminingdisturbstheearthlessbutisoftenmorehazardoustothemineworkers.

Open pit mining,alsocalledopencast,opencut,andstripmining,disturbslargeareasoflandandwastesalotofgroundwater,leavinghugeamountsofsolid(oftenpoisonous)wasteandhugeholesintheearth.

Cyanide heap leach mining (for gold and silver) involvessprayingacyanidesolution(adeadlypoison)overtheoreandcollectingthedissolvedmetalsfromthebottomoftheheap.Spilledcyanidecanquicklykillpeopleaswellasfishandotheraquaticlife,andpoisondrinkingorirrigationwater.

Mountain top removalinvolvesblastingawaymountaintopsusingexplosivestoreachtheminer-alssought.Thepracticecanproduceahugevolumeofwastematerials,whichareoftendumpedintoadjacentvalleysandstreams.Thetwomostcommonmineralsminedthiswayarecoalandlimestoneforcementproduction.

Placer mining,alsocalledalluvialmining,involvesdredgingriversandsiftingoutthevaluableminerals.

Small scale miningisplacerorundergroundmining,doneindividuallyorinsmallgroups.Usuallysiftingisdonebyhand,oftenbypanning.Millsmaybeusedtocrushtheore.Smallscalegoldminingusesmercury(ahighlytoxicmetal)andcanseverelycontaminatewaterandcrops.

Riverine and Submarine Tailings Disposalinvolvethedumpingofdangerousminewasteintorivers,lakes,ortheocean,causingserioushealthandenvi-ronmentaldamage.Thepracticeisprohibitedinmostrichnations.

�B. Typical Steps in the Mining Process

Note: thestepsandsequencelistedheremaybedifferentindifferentcountries.

Prospecting

Prospectinginvolvestakingrocksamplesandstreamsedimenttogaugeanarea’sminingpotential.Insomecountriesitrequiresnogovernmentpermit.Itistheleastdamagingofallminingactivities,butiftrailsarebuilttoaccesspristineareas,peoplecanusethemforpoaching,timberextractionandevenland-squatting.

Exploration

Thisisamuchmoreintensive,organized,andlargerscaleformofprospecting.Explorationactivitiesincludeanythingfromtakingwater,rockandsoilsamplesfromtheground,todrillinghundredsofmetersintothesubsoilwithelaboratedrillingequip-ment.Theobjectivesare:discoveringthewhere-aboutsofthemetalresources,analyzingtheirmetalcontent,anddecidingiftheyareeconomicallyviabletoexploit.Impactscanincludecontaminationofwaterresourcesoriginatinginminingcampsanddrillingsites,tosevereimpactscreatedbybuild-ingroadaccesstotransportthedrillingequipment.Socialimpactscanbesimilartothoseduringtheexploitationphase.Theexplorationphasemaylastformonthsoryears.

Concessions

Inmostcountries,beforestartinganylegalexplo-ration,aminingcompanyhastoobtainaminingconcessionorpermitfromthenationalorprovincialgovernment.Thisallowsthemtobuildroadsintoanareaandbegindrillingandtakingsamplesinordertodeterminethequalityandlocationofthemineralresources.Tofacilitatethis,acompanymaytrytobuysurfacerightsbeforestarting.Sometimesthegovern-mentmaytakeorexpropriatethelanditselftomakeiteasierfortheminingcompanytodevelopitsmine.

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Aftertheconcessionhasbeenobtained,aTORdocumentmayberequired.Itspecifieshowtheprojectwillbedefined,developed,andverified.Itisthebasisforfuturedecisionsanddescribesacommonunderstandingoftheproject’sscopeamongstakeholders.

(Note:TheTORmayalsobecalledaPlanofOperations(PoO.)

�. About Mining

2

TheTORdocumentlaysoutthesocial,economicandenvironmentalelementstheEnvironmentalImpactAssessment(EIA)willstudy.TheTORdocumentauthorizesthecompanytopreparetheEIA.Notallcountriesmayrequirethisdocument,orinsomecasesitmaynotbedoneinapublicsetting.

TheTermsofReferencearesupposedtodefinethefollowing:

• Vision,objectives,scopeanddeliverables(i.e.whathastobeachieved)

• Stakeholders,rolesandresponsibilities(i.e.whowilltakepartinit)

• Resource,financial,andqualityplans(i.e.howitwillbeachieved)

• Workbreakdownstructureandschedule(i.e.whenitwillbeachieved)

• Successfactors/risksandrestraints.

However,unlesspressed,thegovernmentand/orminingcompaniesmayfailtoincludesomeoralloftheabove.

Insomecountries,publichearingsarerequiredinordertodeterminewhichelementstheTORshouldtakeintoaccount.Thismaybeoneofthefirstopportunitiesforcommunitiestointerveneintheminingprocess.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

IftheTORsareapproved,thenextstepistheEnvironmentalImpactAssessment(EIA).Extractivecompaniestypicallyhireotherfirmstodotheenvi-ronmentalassessment.Thisprocesscouldlastseveralmonthstooverayeardependingontheprojectandenvironmentalconditions.

TheEIAisanassessmentofthepossibleimpacts—positiveandnegative—thataproposedprojectmayhaveonthenaturalandsocialenvironment.Itspurposeshouldbetoupholdsocialandenviron-mentalstandards.Oftentimes,however,itisseenjustasadocumenttocomplywithnationallaws.TheInternationalAssociationforImpactAssessment(IAIA)definesanenvironmentalimpactassessmentas“theprocessofidentifying,predicting,evaluatingandmitigatingthebiophysical,social,andotherrele-vanteffectsofdevelopmentproposalspriortomajordecisionsbeingtakenandcommitmentsmade.”

Beforeproceedingwithminingactivities,companiesmustfirstgetapprovaloftheirEIA,usuallyfromtheMinistryofMinesandEnergy,theMinistryofthe

Environment,oranequivalentgovernmentalbody.Thisisgenerallyreferredtoastheenvironmentallicense.

Environmentalimpactassessmentscanbecontro-versial.Butifdoneimpartiallyandwithqualifiedpersonnel,theycanbeausefultoolforcommunities(SeeSection2E).

Moreoften,theEIAleavesoutorunderplaysnega-tivesocialandenvironmentalimpactsoftheexplo-rationorexploitationactivities.AnEIAmayneglectalocaldevelopmentplanoractivitythatcouldbeimpactedbytheextractiveactivity,oritmaynotmentionthreatened,endangeredorrarespeciesorimportantarcheologicalorspiritualsites,thatwouldmakeitsapprovalmoredifficult.Sometimescontrac-torssavetimeandmoneybycopyinganotherEIA,makingthestudyirrelevant.Theseallprovideoppor-tunitiesforchallengingtheEIA.

Social license

Miningcompaniesareverymuchawarethattheymustalsogettheapprovalofthelocalcommunitiesbeforegoingaheadwithprojects.Thisisreferredtoasthe“sociallicense.”Itisnotanofficialrequire-mentinmostcountries,buteventhoughacompa-nyobtainsitsEIA,mostinvestorswouldbewaryofinvestinginaprojectiftheminingcompanydidn’thavetheapprovalofthelocalcommunities.

Miningcompaniesareoftenwillingtospendmillionsofdollarsandmakeendlesspromisestotrytoobtainthesociallicense.Theypromisetobuildschoolsorbridges,providescholarships,andjobs—whatevertheythinkwillappeaseacommunity.Sometimestheseareofficialagreementssignedbythecompanyandthelocalmunicipalgovernmentand/orthestateornationalgovernment.Sometimesit’smoreinformal.Whilesomepromisesarekept,manyarenot.Acompanymaycontinuetomakegiftstokeepthepopulationpacified.Butintheprocess,theymaycreatesocialhavoc,violence,anddeepdivisionswithincommunitiesandfamilies.

Mining companies are very much aware that they must also get the approval of the local communities before going ahead with projects.

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Exploitation

Theexploitationconcessionorlicenseallowsthecompanytobeginfullscalemining.ItusuallyrequiresitsownEIA.Insomecountries,thereareseparateexplorationandexploitationconcessions.Inothers,thereisonlyoneconcession,allowingcompaniestocarryoutallminingactivities—fromexplorationtoexploitationandevensmeltingoperations.

Exploitationisthemostdestructiveanddangerouspartoftheprocessandwillusuallygoonformanyyears.Duringexploitation,mineralsareremovedfromtheearth(orriversinplacermining)andprocessedtoextractthemetalsfromtherestofthematerial.Open-pitmininginvolvesmakinghugecratersupto4kilometersacrossand1.5kilome-tersdeep.Eachcratercangeneratetensofmillionsoftonsofminewasteperyear,someofwhichcancontaintoxicheavymetals.Duringtheexploitationphase,communitiesmaybeuprootedandresettled,andtheirlivelihoodsandculturedestroyed.Thisiswhenlargeamountsofpoisonousmaterialsareusedanddumped,andwhenfishinggrounds,drinkingwater,andirrigationwaterarepoisoned.See1Cformoredetails.

Cleanup: mine closure and post-closure operations

Thisisthefinalstepafterminingisfinished.Itshouldbe(butoftenisn’t)well-fundedtomakesureanyactualorpotentialcontaminationproblemsaretakencareofproperly.Itmayinvolvereforest-ingalltheminedoutsites,replacingthetopsoil,orevenfillingintheopenpits(highlyunlike-ly).TheEnvironmentalImpactStatement(ortheManagementPlan)shouldcontaindetailedplansonhowthecompanywillrehabilitatetheimpact-edareas.Goodrehabilitationplansincludethein-perpetuitytreatmentofwatertokeepitfromcontaminatingaquifersorsurfacewaters.

Manycountriesrequirecompaniestosetasideheftyfinancialguaranteesbeforestartingexploitationinordertopayforcleanupandremediation,buttoooftenthisisnotdone.Thecompanywilllikelyresistspendingtimeormoneyonthis,sinceitbringsthemnoprofit,andcancosthundredsofmillionsofdollarstodoitproperly.Moreoftentheywillneglectitandwillnotbehonestinrevealingthehealtheffectsofcontaminatedwater,soil,andair.Theymustbeforcedbyorganizedcommunitypres-suretodoapropercleanup.

�C. Impacts of Mining on the Community

Theprimaryinterestofthesecompaniesisprofit.Bringingeconomicorotherbenefitstothelocalpopulationandprotectingtheenvironmentarenotimportanttothem.Thosebenefitsareprovided(ifatall)totheminimumextentpossible,andusuallyonlyunderpressure.

Whenaminingorotherextractioncompanycomestovisityourcommunity,youmayexpectnicetalkandwonderfulpromises.“CorporateSocialResponsibility”(CSR)isthenewsheep’scostumethatminingcompaniesnowwearwhencomingintocommunitiesorconvincinggovernmentstoaccepttheirindustries.

Theytalkaboutresponsibility,yetrejectfree,priorandinformedconsent.Theyoffertobepartnerswiththecommunities,yettheydirectlyorindirectlyattack,discreditand/orintimidateorganizationsandindividualswhoquestionoropposetheirprojects,andthenreplacethemwithonestheycanmanipu-late.Theybragaboutnewtechnology,butnevermentionthereducedwork-forceneeded,theperma-nentimpactsontheenvironment,northepoison-ingofwaterresources.Andtheynevermentionwhathappenstocommunitiesandthelocaleconomywhenthemineralsrunout.

Togovernments,companiesoffervisionsofhugepotentialincome,butleaveouttherealcostsofreha-bilitation,impactsonhealth,andthebillionsoftonsofearthandvegetationpoisonedbycyanide,arsenic,leadandotherlethalsubstances.Inpaintingtheirfalseversionofdevelopment,theydon’tmentionthenaturalandsocialwastelandtheyleavebehind.

Iftheyareallowedtobeginmining,youmayexpectanyorallofthefollowingimpacts:

Environmental impacts

Unrestrictedminingoperationsalmostalwaysbringenvironmentaldisaster.Tobuildthemineanditsaccessroads,companiesdestroyforests,reducingtheregion’sbiologicaldiversityandwildlifehabitat.Asforestsaredestroyed,communitiesmaynolongerfindedibleplants,medicinalherbs,fish,game,or

The primary interest of these companies is profit.

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plantsusedforconstructionandutensils.Constructioncreatesnoise,dust,vibrationsanderosionthataffectanimal,fishandhumanpopulations.Duringtheminingoperations,airandwaterarefrequentlypollut-edwithtoxicchemicalsleadingtodiseaseanddeathofbirds,fish,animalsandhumans.Evenafterthemineisclosed,heavymetalsusuallycontinuetoleachintothegroundwaterandriversforcenturies,poison-ingfishandtheanimalsandbirdsthatfeedonthem.

InWestPapua,Indonesia,thedestructioncausedfromtheGrasbergcopperandgoldminingsiteissomassivethatyoucanseeitfromspace.InthePhilippines,toxicminewaste,spilledintotheMogpogRiver,killedallaquaticlifeandgaveriseto

floodingthatdestroyedtherichfarmingareasalongtheriver.In1995,theOmaigoldmineinGuyana(belongingtotheCanadiancompanyCambior),spilledfourandahalfmillioncubicmetersofcyanide-contaminatedresidualmineralsintotheEssequiboRiver.Eightykilometersoftheriverweredeclaredanenvironmentaldisasterzone.

Environmentaldestructionisnotlimitedtopoorcountries.InSpainandHungary,“latesttechnology”mineshavecausedwidespreadcontaminationofriverandsearesources,killingmillionsoffish,whileimpactingmunicipaldrinkingwater,tourism,fisher-ies,andtheindustriesdependingonthem.

Miningrequiresenormousamountsofwater.Toproducethegoldinoneweddingring,forexample,requires8,000litersofwater.Miningoftendriesupthelocalwatersupplyveryquickly,makingagricul-tureandlivestockproductiondifficultorimpossible.Drinkingandcookingwaterbecomescarceaswell.

Miningcanalsocausemassivedeforestation,whichcanreducerainfall,dryupthelocalclimate,destroyhabitatforforaging,fishingandhunting,andforcebirdsandanimalsintoextinction.Forexample,thetoxicfumesproducedbytheNorlisksmeltingcomplexinRussiahavedestroyed350,000hectaresofforests.

Anotherimpact,importantforindigenouspeoples,isthedestructionofcultural,archeological,andspiri-tualsites.

Health impacts

Allphasesandalltypesofminingcanhaveseriousimpactsonhumanhealth.Theseimpactsarecloselylinkedtoenvironmentalimpacts.

Dustandairpollutioncauserespiratoryillnessesandirritatedeyesandskin,especiallyinchildren.

Drinkingwaterandirrigationwaterarefrequentlypoisoned,sometimesforcenturies.Badwaterfromminescanpoisoncropsdozensofmilesawayfromthemines.Watercontaminatedwithtoxicsubstanceslikemercury,lead,arsenicandcyanidecancauseawidevarietyofseriousailments,includingcancerandbirthdefects.Foodirrigatedwithcontaminatedwatercancausesimilarhealthproblems.Pollutionfromsmall-scaleartisanalminesaswellaslarge-scaleminescancauseseriousdiseasesamongtheminers,theirfamilies,anddownstreamcommunities.

Coppersmeltingproducestoxicfumesthatcandestroyvegetationandcausemanyillnessesandbirthdefectsinhumans.(Sometimesminingcompa-niesareforcedtouseexpensivefilters,butusual-lynotinpoorareas.)Uraniumminingcanexposeworkerstodangerouslevelsofradioactivityleadingtocancerandotherchronicdiseases.

Undergroundminingisespeciallydangerousbecauseofaccidentsthattrapandsometimeskillmineworkers.Deathanddebilitationfromsilicosisandlungcancer,blacklungdisease,cave-ins,explo-sions,floodsandotheraccidentsareallcommon.

Aftertheendofminingoperations,healtheffectsoftencontinuefordecades.

Thereareother,indirect,healthrisksposedbyminingoperations.Thereisagreaterriskofwater-borneandotherinfectiousdiseases.Thelossofcroplandandthedryingupofwaterresourcescanleadtodecreasedfoodsupply,malnutrition,andculturaldisruption.

Itisdifficulttoprovethatminingisthedirectcauseofaspecificperson’sillness,soit’sdifficulttosueacompanyforhealthproblems.Thatiswhyitissoimportanttopreventtheenvironmentalcontamina-tionthatcancauseillness.

During the mining operations, air and water are frequently polluted with toxic chemicals leading to disease and death of birds, fish, animals and humans.

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Social impacts

Theimpactofminingonyourcommunitycanbedevastating.Themorepresenceanextractivecompa-nyhasinyourcommunity,themoredisruptiveitwillbe.Iftheyareallowedtoexploreinyourterrito-ries,thelikelihoodofsocialdisruptiondramaticallyincreases.Itmaythentakemanyyearstore-buildthesocial,culturalandspiritualstructuresandbondsthatwerethecommunity’srealwealth.

Miningcompaniesoftenbringhundredsofsingleworkingmenintothelocalcommunity,givingrisetoserioussocialandhealthproblems.Alcoholism,prostitution,sexualassault,rape,andvenerealdiseasesareunfortunatelyverycommoninandnearminingcommunities.

Loss of livelihood:Agricultureandfishingcanbeseverelyreducedduetocontaminationordryingupofwatersupplies.Localfoodproductiondropsasminingjobsreplaceagriculturalones.Sustainableactivitiesliketourismareaffectedbecausetheareaisnolongerattractivetotourists.Thecommunitybecomesimpoverishedasthecostoflivingrisessharplyduetohighwagesgoingtoasmallportionofthepopulace.

Effects on women:Migrationandsocialdisinte-grationdestroytraditionalsafetynets,andwomenareespeciallyaffected.Whenmenworkawayfromhome,womenarelefttohandlefinances,supportthefamilies,andmanagetheland.Thestressonfamiliesoftencausesdomesticviolenceandmaritalbreakups.Themencanbringvenerealdiseasehome.

Community breakdown:Communitiesandindig-enousgroupshavewaysofcopingwithsocialornaturaldisturbancesorstress,includinggroupsoli-darity,generaltrustofone’sneighborsorleaders,unwrittensocialrules,strongfamilyties,culturalidentity,andtraditionalleadershiporgoverningstructures.Thecompanymaydeliberatelytryto

disruptandweakenacommunity’sabilitytoorganizeeffectivelyagainstthem.

Human rights violations: Thecompanymayemploylocalpeopletofalselyaccuseanti-miningactivistsofcommittingcrimes.Itmayemploythugsorparamili-taryforcestointimidate,threaten,injureorevenkillpeople.

InthePhilippines,indigenouspeopleweredrivenoutoftheirhomesatgunpointbyguardshiredbyaCanadianminingfirm.AndaminingcompanyinAustraliaforcedlocalfarmerstoselltheirlandatapricedeterminedbythecompany.

Other negative impacts: Inadditiontotheexamplesabove,aminingprojectoftenresultsin:

1. Increaseincrime

2. Landtrafficking1

3. Displacementofhundredsoffamilies

4. Militarizationandtheappearanceofarmedgroups

Effects of small-scale mining

Whilethismanualmostlydiscusseslarge-scaleminingprojects,small-scaleandartisanalgoldordiamondminersoftencauseequallysevereenvi-ronmentalandsocialproblems.Theycancontami-natewaterresourceswithtoxicsubstancessuchasmercury,affectingnotonlylocalpopulationsbutpeopleandcommunitieshundredsofkilometersaway.Miningtowns,whethercreatedbylargeorsmallscalemining,areoftenriddledwithcrimeandplaguedwithinadequateinfrastructureforeducation,sewage,healthandothersocialservices.Andthecostoflivinginthesecommunitiesisusuallymuchhigherthaninsurroundingareas.Thepresenceofsinglemeninthesesettlementsisacommonoccur-rence,leadingtoprostitutionandthespreadofvene-realdiseases.Insomecases,high-valueminerals,suchasgoldandgems,helpfinancearmedgroups,creatingamoreviolentandinsecureenvironment.Duetoalltheseandotherfactors,small-scaleminingcommunitiesareoftensubjectedtowidespreadsocialandenvironmentalbreakdown.

1Landtraffickingoccurswhentheextractioncompanyofferstobuylandasawaytosecureaccesstotheirconcessions,orasawaytobuyoutpotentialorrealoppositionmembers.Thisalsoleadstocommunitydisin-tegration,inthatpeoplewilloftensellandleave.

The company may deliberately try to disrupt and weaken a community’s abil-ity to organize effectively against them.

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Theactionsdescribedinthissectionarebestusedbeforeminingconcessionsaregranted,buttheycanalsobevaluablelater,evenifexplorationormininghasalreadystarted.

Asyoucarryoutyourwork,rememberthatwhileitisimportanttobeactive,it’smoreimportanttobesafe.Therearepersonalrisksinvolved:youandyourfamilymaybethetargetofsmearcampaigns,deaththreats,andotherploysmeanttoweakenyourresolveandmakeyougiveupthefight.Occasionally,activistsfightingextractiveindustrieshavelosttheirlives.Thoughmostcompanieswillnotrisktheirreputationorthefutureoftheirprojectsonsuchdrasticactions,afewwillnothesitate.Rememberalsothatyourworkcanstirupoppositionfromthelocalpopulationwhomayseetheirfalsehopesforprogressorquickmoneythwartedbyyouractions.

Prevention first!

Thedurationofthestruggleanditsimpactsonthecommunityare,inlargemeasure,determinedbytwofactors:(a)howquicklyyoucanmobilizeagainstthethreat,and(b)thestrengthandresilienceofyourcommunity.

Itishelpfultothinkofanextractioncompanyasadisease,andyourcommunityasyourbody.Asinanyrealdisease,thelongeryoudelaytakingmeasurestostopit,themoreitcanspreadandcausedamage.Thediseasemustbetreatedassoonaspossibletopreventitfromspreading.

Itismucheasiertoheadoffacompany’sassaultBEFOREexplorationtakesplace.Aftertheybuildroads,explore,discoverresources,andspendmoney,stoppingthemisalonger,moredifficultbattle.Thereisalsoapsychologicaladvantagethatcompa-niesgainfromhavinglargeinvestmentsinaproject,

becauseatthatpointpeoplemightsay“it’salreadyhappening”or“theprojectisinevitable.”

Ifexplorationbeginsandthecompanyfindsprofit-abledepositsofvaluablemetalsorpetroleum,theregionalornationalgovernmentmaybecomemuchmoreinterestedinexploitingtheresources.Itisnotunusualforgovernmentstoviolatetheirownlaws,orcreatenewones,inthehopeofobtainingincomefromtaxesthatarepromisedfrommining.

However,communitiesthatorganizethemselveswellcaninfluencetheprocessateverystep,frompreventingprojectsfromstartingatall,togettingcompensation,tosafelyshuttingdown(decommis-sioning)projectsaftertheyhavebeenoperational.

2A. Prepare

Fortheimportanttaskofpreventingcompaniesfromexploring(orfinishingtheirexploration),youfirstneedtobecomeinformedyourself,thenpubli-cizethethreatsbyspreadingthewordtoothers,andthenmobilizethecommunity.Ifconcessionshavebeengrantedandexplorationormininghasstart-ed,thefollowingactionsarestillusefultolimitthedamage.Manyofthefollowingactionscanbedoneatthesametime.Pickthosethatseemmostappro-priatetoyoursituation.

Become informed

Tofindoutifaminingcompanyintendstoapplyforanexploitationconcession,lookforarticlesinyourlocalorregionalpaper,ornoticerumors—don’t

• Thecreationofonesimpleweddingringcangenerate20tonsoftoxicwaste.

• Atinybitofcyanide,thesizeofagrainofrice,cankillaperson.Acommercialgoldminemayusemanytonsofcyanide.

• Manyrivershavebeenmadedeadofanylifeduetotoxicminewaste.

• Miningkillsandinjuresmoreworkersthananyotherindustry.

• Muchminingisdoneinverypoorcountrieswherepeopleareleastabletoresistit.

2. How to Fight Back

It is much easier to head off a company’s assault BEFORE exploration takes place.

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dismissthetalesyouhearatyourlocalhairdresser’s,puborothergatheringplace.Strangersmayarriveincarstolookaround,andsurveyorswithtechnicalequipmentmaystarttocasethearea.Thisiswhenyoushouldstarttodigforinformation.

Identifythesafeguardsandconstraintsforcompa-niestooperatecontainedinlaws,theconstitution,andinternationaltreaties.Findoutthelegalproce-duresforacquiringconcessions.

Ifavailable,getacopyofgovernmentmapsshowingminingareasandthestatusofconcessions.Seeifacompanyisintheprocessofacquiringconcessionsinyourarea.Ifitis,startalertinglocalcommunitiesandgovernments,butmakesureyouhavereliableinformation.Findouthowmuchyourlocalgovern-mentofficialsknow,andiftheyarewillingtohelp.

GototheMinistryofMineswebsiteandgetasmuchinformationaspossibleontheproject.Ifthatdoesn’twork,askforthisinformationfromtheMinistryofMines(oritsequivalent)directly.Youwillneedanofficialdocumentrequestingit,andforthisyoumayneedalawyerorthehelpofanorga-nizationinthecapital.Ifthereareregionalminingdirectorates,itmaybefastertogetinformationfromthese—butalwaysleaveapapertrail.Thatis,requestinformationthroughpaperwork,andmakesurethattheofficialsstampyourcopyoftherequestwiththedateandasignatureforfuturereference.

Ifacompanyalreadyhasaconcession,researchwhatstepsarenecessarybeforetheycantakethenextstep.Getcopiesofanyandallavailabledocuments.

YourcountrymayhaveaNationalDevelopmentPlanthatmayidentifyareaswhereextractiveindus-tryactivitiesareallowedorplanned.Itwillbeusefultohavethisdocumenttoestablishwheth-eryourcommunityiswithinoneofthese“extrac-tivedevelopment”areas,soyoucanstartalertingandeducatingallstakeholders(communities,localgovernments,developmentNGO’s,etc.)abouttheimpactsofextractiveindustries.

Onceyouhavealertedyourfriendsandneighbors,trytoorganizesomeofthemtohelpyouresearchthenextstepsahead.

Youwouldbesurprisedhowmanyvaluableresourc-esyoumayhavearoundyou—i.e.retiredgovern-mentofficials,savvylawyers,computerexperts,graphicdesigners,surveyors,journalistsetc.Eachofthemisavaluableresourcetohelpyouidentifythe

safeguardsandconstraintsforcompaniestooperate,tofindouttherequiredlegalprocedures,andtoeffi-cientlypreparetodefendyourcommunity.

Know your enemy:Digfordetailsaboutthecompa-nyinvolved.Whoarethey?Whatisthecompany’scountryoforigin?Whataretheyplanning?Whoarethemajorshareholders?Whatistheirrecord?Tofindanswerstothesequestions,checkoutthecompany’swebsiteasfrequentlyaspossible(ifit’sonlyinEnglish,getsomeonetohelpyoutranslate).Sharethisinformationwithgroupsandcommuni-ties.Detailedinformationonthecompanyandmajorshareholdersisimportantatlaterstages.Indiggingfordetailsaboutthecompany,theimportanceofusingtheInternetcannotbeoverstated.Findotherwebsitesthatalsopostinformationaboutthecompa-ny(seetheResourcessection).

Researchthecompany’shistoryofsocialandenvi-ronmentalpracticestoknowwhoyouaredealingwith,andtopresentyourcommunityandgovern-mentwithevidenceofpatternsofbadbehavior.Ifpossible,contactothercommunitieswherethiscompanyhasoperated.SeeResourcessectionsforgoodsources.

Plan:Atthestart,youmaywanttothinkabouthowtobestfocusyourlimitedenergiesandfund-ingtomakethegreatestimpactandmaximizeyourchanceofsuccess.Writetheplandown,anddiscussitwiththoseyoutrust,askingfortheirinput.Butbecautiousthattheplandoesn’tfallintominingcompa-nyhands—makefewornocopies.Writedownupdatesasneeded.

Beflexibleandabletoquicklyadaptyourplantonewsituationsandnewinput.Thesewrittenplansareawaytorealizewhathasbeenachievedandtorealizewhatneedscloserattentionasthecampaignmoveson.

2B. Build Local Opposition

Mobilize

Createalocalorganizationifoneisnotalreadyinexistence.A strong local organization is absolutely

You would be surprised how many valu-able resources you may have around you.

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crucial to success.Itsometimesstartswithoneortwopersonsconcernedforthewelfareofthecommunitiesortheenvironment,andbuildsfromthere.Itmayhelptoenlistthesupportofreligiousorcivicleaders.Trytoensurethatitismadeupofhonestlocalindividuals,preferablyrespectedleadersofyourcommunityorarea.

Keepkeypeopleinformedaboutmeetingsandotherimportanteventsthecompanymayhost.Somecommunitiesliveinareaswithoutphoneservice.Itisimperativethatpeoplecancommunicateandrespondtosituationsquickly—andmake sure the company knows this.Ifthereisnophoneservice,obtainwalk-ie-talkiesandgivethemtokeypeopleinthearea.Makesuretheequipmentiswelltakencareofandthenetworkofcommunicationisworkingwell.

Inform the community

Asyoufindoutaboutthecompany,theminingprocesses,impacts,historyofsimilarmines,etc.spreadthatinformationtothecommunityviapictures,brochures,books,videosandpamphlets.Godoortodoortalkingtopeopleinyourcommu-nityandnearby,andworktoconvincethemoftheneedtoorganizeandmobilizeagainsttheproject.Allthishelpstocreatea“criticalmass”ofpublicopinionagainstminingandinfavorofsustainabledevelop-mentandcommunitywell-being.

Thenmeetwithneighboringcommunitiesandlocalentitiessuchaslocalgovernments,productivegroups,andwomen’sorganizations—anyonewhosewell-beingmaybeimperiledbyanextractiveproject.

Getcopiesofthemining,petroleum,orotherrele-vantlegislationandbylaws(suchasenvironmen-tallegislation)totheleadersasquicklyaspossiblesotheycanbecomefamiliarwiththem.Perhapsaknowledgeablepersoninlawcanhelpsimplifyitandmakethelanguageunderstandable.

Circulateprintedmaterial,mostlypictures,show-ingtheimpacts,andaddressingsomeoftheillegali-ties.(Youmayincludethepicturesattheendofthisguide.)

Arrangefieldtripstootherminingsitessopeoplecanseetheenvironmentalandsocialdamagewiththeirowneyes.Invitepeoplefrommining-affectedcommunitiestospeakatlocalevents,sharingtheirexperiences.Ifpossible,alsobringinorvisitpeoplewithcommunitiesorgroupsthathavesuccessfullyresistedsuchprojects.

Inareaswherethereisatraditionofreading,printasimplehandoutsheetexplainingtherightsofcommunitiesandtheobligationsofminingcompa-nies.Emphasizethefactthatpeopleandcommu-nitieshaverights,andthatthecompanies’rightsarenotanymorelegalthanindividualorcollectiverights.Knowingtheyhaverightsbackedupbyyourcountry’sconstitution,internationaltreaties,and/ornationallawshelpsempowerpeopletoopposethemine.Forexample,nocompanycanlegallytrespassontoprivatepropertywithouttheowner’spermis-sion,andaconcessiongivesthecompanyrightsonlybelowthesurface.

Listtheproceduresthecompanymustfollow.Forexample,findoutifcompaniesmaybelegal-lyrequiredtoshareinformationanddocumentswiththecommunitieswhenrequested,holdpublicforums,andconsultwithcommunitiestoobtaintheirfreeandinformedconsent(FPIC)beforeobtainingaconcession.

Community Consent.Oneofthemostpower-fulinstrumentsinprotectingcommunitiesfromdevastationcausedbyextractiveprojectsistherightofcommunitiestogiveorwithholdtheirconsenttoaproject.ThisiscalledtherighttoFree,PriorInformedConsent(FPIC).Forittobemeaningful,theconsentneedstobegivenfreeofpressurefromgovernmentorindustry,priortothebeginningofanyactivitythatmayimpactacommunity’senvironmentorsocialwell-being,andmustbeinformed—thatis,withsufficientinformationdeliveredinaregion’snativelanguagesothecommunitycanmakeaproperdecision.Thatmeansthatcommunitieshavetherighttoknowwhatisbeingproposed,andtheyhavetherighttosayno.

Somenationallawsandconstitutionsguaran-teeapeople’srighttoFPIC.TheWorldBank’sExtractiveIndustriesReviewconcludedthatallpotentiallyaffectedcommunities,indigenousornot,havetherighttoFPIC.TribalandindigenouspeopleshavethisrightincountrieswhohavesignedConvention169oftheInternationalLaborOrganization,ortheUNDeclarationontheRightsofIndigenousPeoples.

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Use local media

Createasimplecommunitynewspaper(orprintarticlesinanexistingpaper)and/orpostbulletinsaroundthecommunity.Getinterviewedonradioprogramsorcreateyourown.

Show(andgiveaway)videosofthesocialandenvi-ronmentalimpactsofminingandcasesofsuccess-fulresistance.Audiovisualmaterialisoftenmoreeffectivethanwrittenmaterialingettingthemessageacross.

Work hard with local government

Getthemonyourside.Educatethemaboutthepossiblerisksofanextractiveproject(health,social,environmental,economic,culturalimpactsthatmightoccur,possiblyaffectingthearea’spotentialfortour-ismrevenue).

Avoidalienatinggovernmentofficials.Givethemthebenefitofthedoubt,workwiththem,givethemasmuchinformationaspossible,keeptheminformedaboutmeetingsandtrips,andtrytogetpeopleelectedwhoareonyourside.Makesurelocalgovernmentsunderstandthatextractiveprojectscansometimesdestroylocaldevelopment,forexample,anarea’stourismappeal.Insomecountries,localgovernmentshaveenoughpowertostopmajorprojects.

Example:Becausetheyhadthebackingoftheirlocalgovernments,DECOINinEcuadorwasabletopushthroughaverygoodenvironmentallawdeclar-ingthelocalcountytobean“ecologicalcounty”—thefirstinLatinAmerica.Thislawprohibitsmostmininginthatarea.Thecountygovernmentalsocreateda“MunicipalProtectedArea”directlyovertheminingsite.

Thereareotherpossibilities,forexamplegettingyourlocalgovernmenttodeclareyourcountyorprovinceaTourismDevelopmentArea.Offertoworkwiththemtoproduceacounty-widelandmanage-mentplanwhichspecificallyexcludesmining.

NOTE:dependingonthearea,triballeadersmayplaytheroleoflocalgovernment,soregardlessof

whetherthereisanotherlocalgovernment,gettingtheirsupportiskey.

Insomecasesthecommunitieswilldecideitisawasteoftimetryingtogetlocalgovernmentontheirside,duetocorruptionor“sellouts.”Inthiscase,considerregionalandnationalgovernmentofficials.Identifyfriendlylegislators(Congressorequivalent)andtrytowinthemovertoyourside.Someoffi-cialswillgiveyouveryimportantinformationthatcanmakeallthedifference,andlatercanruleinyourfavorifyoupresentyourselvescorrectly.Widenyourbaseofsupportbynotlimitingyourselftoonepoliticalparty.Ideally,theselegislatorswouldbegenuinelycommittedtoyourcause,andnotpoliticalopportunists.

Get funding

Thestrugglemaylastforyearsandmayinvolvesubstantialmoney.Organizationstohelpwithfund-ingareavailable.(SeeResourcessection.)

Althoughexternalfundingcanmakeiteasiertocarryoutmoreactivitiesagainstanextractiveproject,itisbestnottorelyonitcompletely.Trytobuildandmaintainaresistancebasedonyourownresources;thiswillgreatlyincreaseyourchancesofsuccess.Youshouldalsobeawarethattheinfluxoflargeamountsofmoneycanalsodamageaweakorganization.

Asthecampaignevolves,youmayrequirefund-ingforthingslikewebsites,printing,video-making,travel,expertassessment,andlegalandotherprofes-sionalassistance.Obtainingoutsidefundscantaketime,butyoumayalsofindthepeoplepowertodothatwork.

Attheoutset,obtainingstartupfundinglocallyisagoodthingtotry,throughalocaleventsuchasadance,musicfestival,communityplay,raffle,orauction.Askalocalmusicianorpoettocontributewitha‘starappearance’toyourevent.Auctionitemscouldincludecertificatesforadinnercookedatthewinner’shome,ahaircut,orotherservices.Ifsucheventsprovesuccessfulyoucanslightlyalterandrepeatthemlater.Theyarealsoagreatboostformoraleandsolidarity,andcanrecruitmorecitizenstothecause.

Themoreyoutellyourstory,inallmediaandallways,thebetterthechancethatafriendlyoverseasorganizationwillhelpyoufundsomeofyourwork.Contactnationalandinternationalorganizationstohelpyouidentifypossiblefundingsources,andlookontheInternettofindthemyourself.Contactother

Widen your base of support by not limit-ing yourself to one political party.

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communitiesfightingsimilarstruggles,andseeiftheycouldhelpbycontactingtheorganizationsandfundersthatarehelpingthem.

2C. Form Alliances

Start with local alliances

Thecreationofastrong,widevarietyoflocaloppo-sitionisessentialforsuccess.Reachouttoreligiousandenvironmentalorganizations,localgovernments,regionalandnationalgovernmentsandNGOs.Workwithandinformtheselocalorganizations.

Informlocalchurchorreligiousleadersaboutmininganditsimpactsonthepoorandmarginal-ized,andaboutthesocialhavocitoftencauses.Thesupportorinvolvementofreligiousleadersorevenofthechurchitselfmaymakeallthedifferenceintheoutcome.

Whilethesupportoflocalpoliticalleadersisveryimportant,beonthealertforpoliticalpartiesthatmaywanttouseyourstrugglefortheirownpoliti-calends.Insomecountries,youmaybetemptedto“politicize”yourstrugglebysupportingsuchgroups.Itmaywork,butcouldalsobackfireifthepartyinpowersellsyourstruggletotheelectorateasameretoolusedbypoliticalparties.Thinkthricebeforeyouletpartypoliticsintoyourstruggle.

Onestrongallymightbeacommunalorregion-alwaterboard,oritsequivalent,oncetheyknowthatextractiveactivitycancontaminateandordryupsourcesofwaterforcommunitiesorirrigation.Or,farmers’groupsdownriveriftheyseethattheirirrigationwaterwouldbecontaminated,impactingtheirhealthandtheircrops.Similarlyotheragricul-turalproducers,fishfarmownersandothersmaybeusefulallies.

Lookforpossiblealliesbeyondyourimmediatearea.Communitiesdownstreamanddownwindwillalsobeaffectedbymining.Wellsfarawayfromtheminemaybecontaminatedbyarsenic,mercuryandotherheavymetals.Smeltingplantscancontami-nategroundandwaterresourcesmanykilometers

away.Sovisitthesecommunities,too,andgettheminvolved.

Alsoseekouttourismorganizations(orindividualtourismentrepreneurs)withinyourregionoratthenationallevel,iftouristattractionsarethreatened.

Quickly expand your alliances

Formallianceswithotheraffectedcommunitiesintheregion,orwithothercommunitiesthreatenedbythesamecompany.Fromsomeoftheseyoumaygettheinformationyouneedforeducationalpurposes.It’salwaysgoodtocreateallianceswithavarietyofgroups,includingenvironmentalandhumanrightsorganizations.

Universitystudentscansometimesbecomeinspiredbyyourstruggleandofferfreehelp.Youmayknowsomeoneatauniversitywhocanhelporga-nizeameetingbetweenfriendsoraUniversityclubordepartment(biology,tourism,hydrology).Universityprofessorsarealsoanexcellentresource.Asktogivepresentationsintheirclassesandrecruitstudenthelpthatway.Professorsmaybewillingtodoresearchforyourorganizationandmightincludestudentsontheproject,orevenhavestudentsdothisworkaspartofaclassassignment.Youcanalsoraisefundsandincreasepublicitybyaskingprofes-sorsandstudentstoholdaforum,ateac-in,oraconferenceaboutyourstruggle.Thiscangeneratemediainterestaswell.

Potentialallieswithinthenationalgovernmentcouldincludetheombudsman,ahumanrightscommis-sioner,theministeroftourism,thenaturalresourcesandwildlifeconservationdepartments,etc.

NationalNGOs(non-governmentalorganizations)arealsousefulallies.SeewhichNGOsinthemajorcityorcitiesareworkingonextractiveindustriesandhumanrights.Trytoenlistasmanyaspossibleandaskfortheirhelpgatheringinformationfromthegovern-mentandothersources.TheseNGOsmayfundwork-shopsandinformationsessionsonmining’simpactsorhumanrights.SeeifanyofthenationalNGO’scanprovideyouwithfreelegaladvice.

Youmayalsobeabletogetanexceptionallyrespect-edindividual,anationalheroortelevision/movie/sportsstartohelpyoupublicizeyourcause.Thiscanbeaveryeffectivepublicitytool—andinexpensive.

Fromthenationalscaleyoushouldmovequick-lytotheinternationalarena.Findorganizationsinthecountrywherethecompanyisfrom,keep

The support or involvement of religious leaders may make all the difference in the outcome.

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theminformed,andaskforassistance(informationabouttheminingcompanyanditsinvestors,andsourcesoffunding).Usetheseinternationalallianc-estolaunchletterwritingcampaignstodenounceabusesorhighlightpolitical,culturalorbiologi-calrisksassociatedwiththecompany’sactivities.Worktopressureinvestorstoselltheirinterestsinthecompany.Theseactionscanhelptodrivedownthepriceofthecompany’sshares.Forexample,afteryearsofdenunciationofCopperMesaMiningCorporation’sactivitiesinEcuador,thecompanyshareslost98%oftheirvalue.

Ifprotectedareasorendangeredspeciesaredirectlyorindirectlyaffected,youmayfindalliesininterna-tionalorganizationssuchastheInternationalUnionforConservationofNatureandNaturalResources(IUCN),WorldWildlifeFund,NaturalResourcesDefenseCouncil(NRDC),andothers.

2D. Use the Law and the Political Process

Lawsuits and injunctions

Alegalchallengetoaprojectsendsapowerfulmessagetothecompany,itsshareholders,andyourelectedrepresentative,andcansometimesstoptheprojectorslowitdownconsiderably—givingyoutimetoorganizebetter.Trytomakethelegalchal-lengeassolidaspossible,sinceifsuccessfulitcanestablishalegalprecedentforsimilarsituationselse-where.YouwillprobablyhavetorelyonanationalNGOtohelpyoudothis,asitcanbeacomplexandexpensivestrategy.Ifyoufeelthecourtsaresocorruptthatyouknowyouwilllose,youmaystillwanttogoforthsoyoucaneventuallypresentyourcaseintheinternationalarena.

Carefullystudytheconstitutionandmininglegis-lation.Presentlegalchallengeswheneverpossi-ble.InEcuador,DECOINhelpedpresentfivelegalchallengestotheirminingproject.Eventhoughallfailed,mostlybecauseofcorruption(somethingelsetoconsider),itisnecessarysometimestoshowtheworldthatyouaretryingeverylegalmeanspossibletostoptheproject.IfyouwanttogototheRegionalCourtsystem(suchastheInter-AmericanHumanRightssystem),thefirstthingthey’llaskyouistoshowthatyou’veexhaustedalllegalmeasuresinyourcountry.Althoughitcanbefrustrating,itisalsoindispensableifyouwanttogothisroute(wehighlyrecommendkeepingthisoptionopen).

Ifyoudiscoverthatthecompanyhasmadeproce-duralmistakes,presentlegalcasestoannultheir

concessions.Ifthatfails,seekaninjunctionagainsttheminingcompanyand/orthegovernment,basedonastatutoryorconstitutionalviolation(examples:lackofconsultationwiththecommunity,ortakingpropertywithoutfaircompensation).Failingthat,ifyouhavegoodgrounds,youcansuethegovernmentforviolationofmininglegislationorotherlaws.

Thosewhofeelthatitisawasteoftimefightinginthecourtsbecauseofcorruptionmaywanttopursuelegalstrategiesattheinternationallevel.Ifyouhavetheslightestgroundsonwhichtodoso,suethecompanyinthecountrywhereitisregistered.Thisrequiresthatyouhaveclosetieswithanorganiza-tioninthecountrythatcanhelp—andmoney.Seekprobonolegalassistance(seeResourcesSection).Justthethreatofalawsuitlikethiscanscareinves-torsaway.

Ifyouhavegroundsandsupport,fileacaseagainstthecompanybasedonabreachoftheOrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment(OECD)multinationalguidelines.Thoughyoumaylose,thisbringsnegativepublicitytothecompany.FindoutmoreatCIEL,CenterforInternationalEnvironmentalLaw—seeResources.Again,youneedtohaveagoodworkingrelationshipwithaninternationalorganization.

Referendums / local votes

Theideaoflocalreferendumsorvotesonnaturalresourcedevelopmentgainedpopularityin2002,afterthecommunityinTambogrande,Peruvotedtorejectaminingproposal.Sincethen,thepracticeoflocalvotes(orreferendums)onminingprojectshasspreadtootherpartsofPeru,Guatemala,CostaRica,Argentina,Mexico,Chile,Turkey,thePhilippinesandelsewhere.Invirtuallyeverycase,votersoverwhelm-inglyrejectedextractiveprojects.

Thisapproachmaynotworkinsomecases;thevotesarenotalwaysacceptedbynationalgovern-mentsandmaynotbelegallybinding,orthecompa-nyorgovernmentmayinvestheavilytothrowthereferendumtheirway.Nonetheless,referendumsarebecomingapopularwaytodemocratizethedecisionmakingprocessaroundnaturalresourceuse.Theycanalsoderaillargeprojectswithfund-ingfromtheWorldBank’sInternationalFinanceCorporation(IFC),sincetheIFC’sPolicyonSocialandEnvironmentalSustainabilityrequiressuchfinancingapplyonlytoprojectsthathaveproven“broadcommunitysupport.”

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Ifyouwanttopursuealocalreferenduminyourcommunity,theEnvironmentalDefenderLawCenterisagoodresourceformoreinformationandassis-tance(seeResources).

2E. Obstruct the Process

Thepurposeistomakethingsdifficultforthecompany,delaythework,andmaketheprojectmoreexpensiveforthem.Delayingtacticscostthecompa-nymoney,upsettheinvestors,andgiveyoumoretimetoorganizeresistance.

Purchase critical land

OneofthemostvaluablethingsDECOINdidatthebeginningoftheirresistancetotheminingprojectwastobuylandforcommunitiesintheminingarea.Owningthelandbecameanimportanttooltostoptheminingdevelopment.Thislandeventuallywasusedbythecommunitymostatriskfromtheprojectaspartoftheircommunityecologicaltourismproject—onemorereasonforthecommunitytoprotect“theirforests.”

Challenge and delay the TOR

AssoonaspossiblegetacopyoftheTermsofReference(TOR).Haveitreadbysomeonewithexperience(aninternalorexternalally),andtrytoopposeitonlegalandtechnicalgroundsinplentyoftimebeforethegovernmentapprovesit.Insistthatitisincompleteandthatotheraspectsshouldbeconsidered(impactsonexistingproductivealter-natives,protectedspecies,andarcheologicalandculturallysignificantsites).MuchwilldependonthelawsandConstitution.Ifcommunityconsultationisrequired,trytoproveitwasneverlegallycarriedout;thismaydelegitimizetheTORs.

Challenge and delay the EIA

CommunitiesmustinsistonasubstantiveEnvironmentalImpactAssessment(EIA)beforeanyminingoperationsareestablished.TheEIAshouldbedonebyaneutralagency(onenotfundedbytheminingcompany).Insistthatitincludeanexpertonenvironmentalhealth.IftheEIAidentifiesdrasticpotentialimpacts,itcanplayakeyroleinbuildingoppositiontotheproject.Sometimestheinforma-tionfromtheassessmentcanbepowerfulenoughtopreventthestartofminingoperationsinaregion(unusual,butpossible).

Sometimes,thecommunitycanblockaccesstotheprojectsitetopreventthecompanyfromcompletingtheEIAstudy.Inmostcountries,companiesshouldnotbeabletotrespassonprivateproperty,sobeonthelookoutforthis.Findoutwherethecompanyisworkingandhowmuchtimetheyspentoncertainstudies—thismayhelpyouinvalidatethestudylater.

IftheEIAhasbeendone,obtainacopyandgetitreviewed.Youmightconductyourownreview,butitoftenrequiresexpertadvice—perhapsanorga-nizationwhosespecialtyistoreviewEIAs(seeResources).Ifyoucanaffordit,hiringalawyerexpe-riencedinmininglawisawisedecision.AfteryouhaveanalyzedtheEIA,summarizeitscontentsandreproduceanddistributeyourfindingstoallrele-vantorganizationsandcommunities.Makesureyouincludeashortenedversionpointingoutitsflaws,andtherealimpactsoftheproject.Atthesametime,youcanpressurethegovernmentorcompanytoproduceadocumentwiththisinformation.Pointingoutthestudy’sflawsmayprovidelegalgroundstostoptheproject.

Find,andpresenttogovernmentofficials,asmanytechnicalandlegalerrorsaspossible,andreasonstorejecttheEIA.Examples:Riversorstreamsthattheyshouldhavebutdidn’tstudy,protectedspeciestheyoverlooked,areastheysaidtheystudiedbutdidn’t,wrongelevation/rainfallinformation,incorrectboundaries,incompletelistofchemicalsusedfordrillingequipment,andinadequatesocialevaluation.

IfyouoryourlawyernoticeillegalitiesinhowtheEIAwaspreparedorhowitisbeingimplemented,suetohavetheprojectstopped.Similarly,ifanyoftheproceduresorworkviolatestheConstitution,seekaconstitutionalinjunctionorsimilarlegalmeasure.(Seesection2Donusingthelaw)

IfyouareunabletostopEIAapproval,explora-tionwillgoahead.Explorationcancausesignifi-cantenvironmentaldamageandsocialimpacts(inspiteofgovernmentorcompanyclaims).MakesureyouareabletoeitherobtainaccesstoareasbeingexploredtoassessifthecompanyiscomplyingwiththeEIA,orelsegetinformationfromaninsider(Aretheyusingstreamsthattheyaren’tsupposedto?Didtheybuildtheaccesstrailorroadwiderthanindi-catedinassessment?Aretheydumpinggarbageorusingdifferentchemicalsthantheoneslisted?)Ifso,denounceittothelocalandnationalauthoritiesandtoallyourallies.

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NOTE:Communitiesthatfocusonthelegalandtechnicalaspectsofextractiveindustrieswillprob-ablylosethebattleiftheydonotalsohavestronglocalsupportfromresidentsandinternationalallies.Inotherwords,this is a political struggle and you cannot rely on technical approaches alone,becauseminingcompanieswillalmostalwayshavemoremoneytospendontheirownexperts.Forthisreason,itismostimportanttopreventacompanyfrombuyingorforcingconsentfromthecommunity,i.e.obtainingthesociallicense.

Prevent the social license

Itisdifficulttofightagainstthecompany’stacticofbuyingoffpeople.Theypayhighwages,offereverythingtoeveryone(suchasmedicalservices,newschools,andjobs),andhirepeopletodonoth-ing,justtogetthemontheirside.Createtheanti-miningandpro-communityawarenessthatisneededtodefeattheseprojects.Highlighttherisksinvolvedtothecommunity’swelfareanditssocialcohesion.Thisisbestdonethroughorganizingyourselvesandeducatinglocalpeopleaboutthemine’srealimpacts.

Create economic alternatives to mining

Whileit’simportanttosaynotomining,yourstrug-glewillbemuchmorerespectedbythecommunityifyouworktocreatealternativesandhelptosolvetheproblemofpoverty—givingpeopleanalterna-tivetobeinghiredbythecompany.

IntheIntagregionofEcuador,localorganizationscreatedthefollowingalternatives:

• Shade-growncoffeeassociation

• Severalcommunityecologicaltourisminitia-tives(attheminingsite)

• Severalhandicraftgroups

• Hand-madesoapandshampooproducts

• Vegetableivoryproducts

• Marmaladeandsyrupproduction

• Sustainableagriculturalorganizations

• Fishfarmingandeggproduction

Alternativeeconomicprojectsareimportant,butrememberthatthecompaniescanpaymuchmore—atleastforashortormediumterm—thanwhattheseactivitiesgenerate.Intheend,thesocialandenvironmentaleducationalprojectsaremostcrucialtodemonstratethelongtermdevastatingconsequencesofminingandthesustainabilityofalternatives.

Capitalize on their mistakes

Keeponthelookoutformistakesthecompanyorgovernmentmakes,andpounceonthem.Ifconces-sionswheregiven,findinformationabouthowtheyweregiven,andlookcarefullyforirregularitiesorillegalities.Thiscanbekey,butitisuselessunlessyoupublicizeitasfarandwideaspossible.

WhenthecompanyinIntagusedparamilitaries,anti-miningactivistshadadvancenoticeandhadpeoplefilmingandphotographingtheencounter.Allowingviolenceagainstdefenselesscommunitymemberstobephotographedandfilmedwasabigcompanymistake.

2F. Publicity: Spread the Word

Publicitymeansgettingyoursideofthestoryoutasmuchaspossible,bothnationallyandinternationally.Highlightissuessuchasrichbiodiversity,thepres-enceofendangeredspecies,pristinewatersourc-es,nearbyprotectedareas,primaryforests,areasofarcheological,spiritual,andculturalsignificance,threatstoindigenouscultures,andplacesatriskofearthquakes.Inotherwords,presentasmanyhooksaspossiblefororganizationstolatchontoandgetinvolved.IfanEIAhasbeencompleted,itmaybeagoodsourceforthisinformation.

Seeifthere’saspecial“charismatic”speciesyoucanuseasarallyingcry(Condor,Jaguar,Panda).

Youwantyourstorytobeheardbyasmanypeopleaspossibleintheworld.Thegoalistwofold:(1)tohighlighttheimpactstonatureandsocietythataprojectmaypose,and(2)topubliclyshameacompanyandmakeitharderforthemtoobtainfundingbydiscreditingthem.Theinformationhastobe100%truthfulsothepressand/orinvestorscantrustit.

Websites

TheInternetisavaluableresourceandnotexpen-sive.CreateaWebpagewhereyoucanpublishmapsandprojectdetails,exposeliesandmisdeedsoftheminingcompanyandgiveinformationabout

This is a political struggle and you cannot rely on technical approaches alone.

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yourworkofresistance.Itcanbeupdatedoftentoincludenewdevelopments,newallies,newsfromthelocalcommunitiesetc.Considercreatingablogtoallowforinputfromothers.

Thecompaniesareverywealthyandcan“greenwash”theirparticipationinaminingproject.Yourwebpagemaybetheonlysourceofinformationtellingtheothersideofthestory,soitisimportanttogetasmuchaccurateinformationaspossibleandgetittopeoplewhowillshareitwidely.Thismeansthatyoushouldaskasmanynationalandinterna-tionalorganizationsaspossibletopostnewsofyourcampaignontheirwebsites.CreatinganEnglishversionofyourwebsitewillfacilitatethis.

The press

Itisessentialtounderstandthepowerofthepressandtheimportanceofdevelopingbasicskillsforusingit.

Encouragevisitingreportersasmuchaspossible,givingafewthefirstshotatreportingastory.Makesuretheyaretherewhensomethingimportanthappenssotheycanreportit(thissavesonpublic-itycosts).Visitthemedia,invitethemtothecommu-nities,andsupplythemwithasteadyandfactualstreamofinformationonthecompany’stacticsandactivities,andthethreatstheprojectsposetothecommunitiesandtheenvironment.Youcanalsoholdnewsconferencesinamajorcity,invitingthepresstoabreakfastorlunch—it’smorelikelythey’llshowup.Makesureyoulearnhowtopreparepresskitsandpressreleases(seeResources).Theinfor-mationcouldincludegoodqualityphotographs,videoclips,copiesofdocumentsandinterviews,andcontactinformation.

Don’tforgetlocalresourcesaswell.Youmightstartanewspapertoinformlocalpeople.Hopefullyyou’llhavesomeonewhocanwritereasonablywell.Ifnot,trytobefriendasupportivereporterorsomeoneinalocalorganizationtogiveyouahandinwritingandsendingoutasmanynewsbulletinsaspossibleonthesituation.Createanddistributeposters,videos,brochures,andbookletsonbiodiversity,waterandtheimpactsofminingonthem.Theremayalsobeorganizationsthattraincommunityjournalists,socontactthemforassistance.Dolocalandregion-alradiospotsonminingandtheimportanceofconservingwater,theforestsandbiodiversity.Ifnolocalradiostationexists,considerstartingone.

Ifthepressshowsnointerestinreportingyourstory,youmayhavetobuyspaceinnewspapers,onradio,orTVtoinfluencepublicopinionwithinoroutsideyourimmediatearea.

Photos and videos

Anotherthingthatcanhelpalotistoproducevideodocumentaries,bothinEnglishandyournativelanguage.However,thistakestimeandresourcesandrequires,amongotherthings,learningtousetheequipment.Thechancesofyourstorybeingheardoutsidemaydependonthequalityofthephoto-graphs,audiorecordingorvideoclipsyousupplytothenewspapers,radioortheTVstations.IfpossiblegivevideosandDVDstopotentialalliesforfree.Rememberonepicturecanbeworthathousandwords.

Youcanprintanddistributepostcardsshowingtheresultsofthecompany’spresenceinotherplaces(violentconfrontations,deadanimals,oraruinedcommunity).Sendthesetojournalistsandotherpublicfigures.InIntag,DECOINpublishedapost-cardoftheparamilitariesattackingthecommunities,andpeoplefromthecommunitiessentmessagestoEcuador’spresidentonthem!

Protest demonstrations

Marchesinthemaincities,tospreadthenewsoutsideyourarea,canworkbutcanalsobeexpen-sive.DECOINhelpedmobilizehundredsofpeoplewhowenttothecapitalcity,Quito,severaltimes.Theymarchedtowheretheconstituentassemblymemberswerewritingtheconstitution,andotherkeyplaces.Itseemedtobeworthit.Itmaybeaveryeffectivewaytogalvanizesupportforyourcauseandraisetheprofileoftheproblem.

Play or puppet show

Puttingonaplayorpuppetshowtoillustratetheeffectsofminingcanbeagreatwaytocommuni-cate,especiallytoanon-literatepopulation.Itcouldbeasimpleplotshowingbeforeandafter,prom-isesvs.reality.Typically,thiskindofstreettheaterinvolvesoneormorepersonsrepresentingthecommunityandanotherpersonrepresentingthecompany.Someofthebeststreettheatercombinescomedywithseriousdrama.(seeResourcessectionforAmnestyInternational’s“HowtoUseStreetTheater”)

Insummary,getthewordout,anddoitrelentlessly.

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2G. Organize Globally

Alotofthisworkreallycomesdowntolevelingtheplayingfieldbetweencorporationswitheconom-icandpoliticalcloutandlocalcommunities.Ifthecompanieshavethecourtsontheirside,youcanhavethepress,localcommunities,andhopefullylocalgovernmentsonyours.Internationalorganizationscanbeahugehelptocountertheimbalancetoo.

Take the struggle beyond the local arena as soon as possible

Thebattlehastobefoughtonmanyfrontsatonce—local,regional,nationalandinternational.Globalattention,whetherfromgovernments,thepress,orNGOs,willhaveanimpactinyourcountry—nationallyandlocally.

Campaign in the country of origin

It’simportanttocreateandsustaingoodrelation-shipswithoneormoreinternationalorganization,ideallyintheminingcompany’shomecountry,(suchasMiningWatchinCanada,andEarthworksandOxfamAmericaintheUSA).Getthemtohelpyoupublicizeyourstoryandshamethecompanybackhome,becausethat’swheremuchofthepowerinthisstruggleis.

Contactnewspapersinthecompany’scountryoforiginandsendarticles,denunciationsandpetitionstotheirgovernment.Iftheinformationisreliableandthecompanywantstoappearresponsible,thatcanleadtochangesinpoliciesormanagement.Ifacompanyhasawell-earnedreputationforbeingaresponsiblecorporatecitizen,itmaydroptheprojectaltogether(ofcourse,youmaygetaveryirrespon-siblecompanywithnoreputationtolose).

Ifpossible,traveltothecountrywherethecompanyisbasedandbringattentiontoyourarea’sunique-ness.DECOINwenttotheCanadianParliamenttodenouncetheactionsofthecompany,andgaveradioandnewspaperinterviews.Again,thefullsupportofanoverseasorganizationiscriticalforthistowork.

Havelocalresidentssendapersonalmessagetothecountry’spresidenttodenounceillegaloraggressivetactics.

ReportthecompanytotheSecuritiesandExchangeCommission(orequivalentintheircountryoforigin)inanefforttohavethemdelisted(preventedfromtradingintheexchanges).Forthisstrategytoworkitisimportanttopointoutanyfalseorfraudulentinformationthecompanymaybepublishing.TheSecuritiesandExchangeCommissiononlylooksatthistypeofconcreteinformation.KeeparecordofallcommunicationwiththeSecuritiesandExchangeCommissionandshareitwiththein-countryallyorganization.

Anotherstrategyistofilealawsuitagainstcompa-nyofficialsandtherelevantstockexchange.Themainobjectivesaretodelistthecompanyfromtheexchangeandtodrawthepublic’sattentiontohowtheirstockexchangesarefundinghumanrightsabus-esoverseas.Thelawsuitmayalsohelptopressurethegovernmenttoimplementstrongstandardstoregulateitsextractivecompaniesworkingoverseas.

Human rights groups

Focusyourdenunciationsonhumanrightsissuesasmuchaspossible.Assoonasthecompanyoritsrepresentativeshittheground,formanalliancewithareputablehumanrightsgroup(seeResources)sothatthecompanyhastotreadcarefully.Askthemtoreportonhumanrightsabusesifatallpossible.

International observers

Companieshavetobeverycarefulinthepresenceofinternationalobservers.Contactorganizationsthatwillsendinternationalobserverstowitness,record,anddenouncewhatisgoingon,thusreducingthelikelihoodofviolentconfrontation.Somein-countryhumanrightsgroupsmayhavesuchaprogram.

Buy shares in the mining company and contact other investors

Averyimportant,butoftenoverlooked,strategyistogoaftertheinvestorswhobuyshares.Buysomesharesintheminingcompanysoyoucanattendtheirshareholders”meetings.Thisallowsyouto(a)talkdirectlywithsomeofthebiggerinvestorsaboutwhatthecompanyisdoing,orpointouttothemthelegal,environmentalorsocialobstaclestotheproject;(b)submitashareholderresolution,and(c)possiblyfindoutmoreaboutwhattheyareplanning—information

The battle has to be fought on many fronts at once — local, regional, national and international.

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thatmaybeotherwisehardtoobtain(askingatthemeetingorbeforehandbyphoneorletter).

Describingthethreatsofminingtoyourcommunityonlyworkswithinvestorswhohavesomedegreeofsocialorenvironmentalconscience.Manyonlylookathowmuchmoneytheyaremaking.Butiftheyarepublicizedenough,youractionsmayworktoscareoffpotentialinvestors.

Writingletterstosomeoftheselargeinvestorscanbeimportant(seebelow).Ifthecompanyispubliclytraded,itshouldn’tbedifficulttogettheircontactinformation.PossibilitiesincludeSedar(Canada),CorpWatchandtheUSSecuritiesExchangeCommission(USA),andRainforestInformationCentre(Australia).

Letter-writing campaigns

Letter-writingcampaignscanbeveryeffectiveasawaytoraisetheprofileofastruggle.Theymakeitdifficultforgovernmentofficialstoglossovertheissue.Theyalsodrawtheirattentiontoaproblemtheymaynotbeawareoforwellinformedabout.Moreimportantly,theyletcompanyofficialsknowthatthelocalsarenotalone.Internationalsolidar-itycankeeplocaloppositionleaderssafebymakingthemmorepublic,thuslessvulnerabletohumanrightsabuses.InEcuador,lettercampaignshelpedprotectactivistsandconvincethegovernmenttodropchargesagainstthem.

2H. Direct Action

Partofthestrugglemayinvolvedirect,physical,communitymeasurestodelaytheexplorationorexploitationprocess,andtostopthecompanyfromgainingground(directactionorcivildisobedience).Makeeveryeffort,however,tokeepthesemeasuresnonviolent.Youwanttheworldtoseethecompany’sviolence,notyourown.Peacefultactics,eventhoughtheymaytakelongertoachievetheirgoal,arepref-erabletousingviolence.

GandhiandMartinLutherKing,amongothers,havedemonstratedtheeffectivenessofnon-violentdirectactionorcivildisobedience,wherepeopleorganizeandintentionallybreaklawsthattheyconsiderunjust.Theobjectiveistocreateacrisisandfostertension,sothatanorganizationthathasrefusedtonegotiateisforcedtoconfronttheissue.

Ifyoudecidetoengageincivildisobedience,itisimportanttotrainparticipantsinthepracticeof

non-violentresistance(seeResources).Beawarethatcompaniesmighttrytoinfiltrateyourgroupandurgeyoutoundertakeviolentactionsinordertodiscredityourgroupandlandyouinjail.Whensomeonesuggestsviolentactions,besureyouconsiderwhothatpersonisandwhathismotivesmightbe.Considerwhethercommittingviolencereallyservesyourpurposeornot.

Inordertominimizethelegalimpactsofdirectaction,priorlegalcounselisabsolutelynecessary—anditmustbegoodlegalcounsel.Directactionmayormaynotworkdependingonthelevelofnationalandlocalsupportfortheminingproject.Itisaparticularlysensitiveissueatthistimeinhistorysincemanygovernmentscanusetheterm‘terrorist’againstyou.Iftheymakethelabelstick,thepowerofthestateandmilitarycancomecrashingdownonyourorganization.Also,ifthearmyhasaninterestintheproject,itisbesttoholdoff(thusthegreatimportanceofdiggingdeeptofindoutwhoreallyisbehindtheproject).Ifyourleadersarearrestedorifyourcampaignlosesessentialbackingyoucanpayabigprice.Itmayalsoturnpublicopinionagainstyourstruggle,andthelegalcostsinvolvedcouldputaseveredrainonyourcoffer..

Despitetherisks,therearetimeswhendirectactioncangalvanizelocalopposition,anditcanbecomeapowerfulsymbolofresistance.Blockingaccessroads,sit-ins,hungerstrikes,andcreativeformsofnon-cooperationhavebeenusedsuccessfullybywell-organizedcommunitiesoneverycontinent.Keepyourgoalinmindandchoosethemostprom-isingtacticstogainsupportforyourposition.SeeResourcesforexamplesofnon-violentdirectaction.

Ifyoudecidetogoaheadwithdirectaction,planinadvance,indetail,forbestresults.Makesurethesetupisoptimal.Itcanhelptohavemembersofthepressandhumanrightsobserverspresent.Herearesomeplanningquestionsyoushouldanswer:Whatneedstobeinplacetoobtainthegreatestbenefits(e.g.havemembersofthepressandhumanrights

Blocking access roads, sit-ins, hunger strikes, and creative forms of non- cooperation have been used successfully by well-organized communities on every continent.

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observerspresent)?Whatarepossiblenegativeconsequences,andwhatcanbedonetoneutralizethem?Whatarethelikelyshort,mediumandlong-rangeresults?Whataresomefollow-upactivitiestobeimplemented,sotheactionsarenotwasted?

2I. If Mining Goes Forward or is Already Underway

Inmanycases,theconcession/explorationprocessmayalreadybeunderwaywhenyoustarttoorganizeagainstit.Remember,almosteveryactiondescribedinthissectioncanbeusedthroughouttheprocess,andcanbeeffectiveatanystage.Do whatever it takes to delay or interrupt the process, at any stage.

Theremaybesituationsinwhichyoucannotstoptheextractiveprocess.Insuchcasesit’simportanttoreduceitsimpacts.Astrongcommunityorganiza-tion,independentfromminingcompanyinterests,isessentialtominimizingtheproject’simpacts.

Health precautions

Ifitappearsthatminingwillgoahead,insistthattheminingcompanytakestepstoassurethehealthoflocalcommunities.Identifypossiblehealththreatsandestablishasystemtomonitorthetoxiceffectsofminecontaminantsonlocalpopulations.Conductabaselinesurveyonhumanhealthandtheenvi-ronment(air,water,soil,foodstuffs)todetermineexistinglevelsofheavymetals,arsenic,cyanideandotherpotentialminecontaminantsinwatersourcesandbodies.Makesureitisdonecarefullyandaccu-rately,inadvanceofminingifpossible.Thisisakeyresponsibilityoftheminingcompany.Thesebaselinelevelsarenecessarytomeasuretheimpactofminingactivities.

Anyplanstosafeguardhealthmustbetailoredtohowlocalpeopleidentifyandprioritizetheirownhealthneedsandaccesshealthcare.Theirvoicemustbeincorporatedintoanyproposedhealthprogramsthathaveanyreasonablechanceofsuccess,andtheprogramsmustbeinclusiveandpromotetherightsoflocalcommunities.

Compensation

Adequatefundsmustbeassuredtocompensatelocalcommunitiesfortreatinghealthproblems,death,loss

ofagricultural,fishing,andhuntingcapability,forcedrelocation,thelossoflivelihoodthatthesecause,andothernegativeimpacts.

Community oversight

Thecreationofastrongcommunityorganizationtodothingslikenegotiateinfrastructureorservicesimprovements,approvenewbusinessestablishments(todenybrothelsandcantinas),andapprovenewpersonnel(insistonpolicerecordandcommunityreference)mayhelptoreducethelevelofthesocialupheaval.Theorganizationmustremainindependentandfreetodenounceirregularitiesorillegalitiestotheproperauthorities.

Communitymemberscansetupasamplingprogram,toestablishbaselinesandtrackenvironmentalparameters,suchaswaterquality,airborneparticu-lates,healthindicators,etc.Thisisapowerfulwaytokeepcommunitiesinvolvedintheprocessandinformedaboutrisks.

Powermustbekeptwithinthecommunitiesasmuchaspossible—preferablyinthehandsoforiginalresidents.However,itisasadfactthatoftenthemostcommittedindividualssoonleavethecommu-nitiesafterlarge-scaleminingmovesintotown.Ifasinglecommunity-electedcommitteeisresponsiblefornegotiatingwiththecompany,thecompanywillbelesslikelytodivideandconquerbybuyingoffindividualsandkeepingthecommunityfragmented.Whileit’spossiblethatthecompanywilltrytobuyofftheleadersofthecommittee,it’sstillbesttohaveademocraticallyelectedcommunity-basedoversightcommittee.Thecommitteecanalsodemandthatthecompanykeepfromdestroyingcertainresources,implementmoreenvironmentallysoundminingprac-tices,uselesstoxicsubstances,andfindmoreappro-priatedisposalsites.

Establishingcommunityoversightmayhavemanyotherbenefitsinadditiontoreigningincompanyabuses.Anoversightcommitteecanbeamodelforotherorganizedgroupssuchaswomen’sorganiza-tions,2conservationprojects,small-scalecommunityhydroelectricprojectsandagrouptoseekamunici-palecologicalordinancetoestablisha“municipalprotectedarea.”

2Womenalmostneverbenefitfromminingprojects.Miningismostdefinitelya“man’s”activity,butwomenareoftenthemostimpactedbyminingprojects.Thecreationofstrongwomen’sgroupsmayplayasignificantroleinstoppingminingprojects.

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Thestrategiesintheprevioussectionarehighestpriority,andmostareusefulatanystageoftheexploitationprocess.Thissectiondescribesafewtacticsusedbysomecompaniesatcertainpointsintheprocess.Whilenotallmayapplyinyoursitua-tion,itisgoodtobepreparedfortheminadvance.

Company Tactic � — Visit with false identity

Theminingcompanyisapplyingforconcessions,oralreadyownsconcessions,andsendsateamtoassessthelocalsituation.Theywanttofindoutthelevelofknowledgeamongthepopulaceontheminingissue,andthedegreeofopposition.Atthisstagetheymaystartidentifyingpossiblekeycommu-nityorlocalgovernmentpersonstogetontheirside.Theymaycomewithafalseidentity(suchasposingasanNGOrepresentative)inordertoobtaininformation.

Countermeasures

Bewaryofpeoplesolicitinginformationwithoutagoodreason.Makesurestrangersarewhotheysaytheyare—gettheirIDinformation,telephone,andaddress,tofollowup.Writedownwhattheyareproposingoroffering.Iftheyarelying,youwanttobeabletoproveitandexposethemforwhattheyarelater.

Ifyoususpectthatthismaybeaminingorotherextractiveproject,studythelegislationtoseewhattheirnextobligatorystepsare(seeSection2A).

Company Tactic 2 — Open meeting

Whentheyhavefoundalocalally,thecompanymaycomeinopenlyandmeetwiththelocalgovern-mentorcommunitytotalkabouttheproject.Theyareverylikelytoarrangemeetingsthrough“friend-ly”localgovernmentorcommunityofficials.Bythistimetheofficialsmayhavebeenpromisedsomebenefits(notjustmonetary).

Countermeasures

Itisimportanttobeawarethatthecompanymayusemeetingsaspartofgettingcommunityaccep-tanceoftheproject(the“sociallicense”),inordertocomplywithnationalorregionallegalobligations(thisisknownasa“shamconsultation”).Insomecasesthecompanymightcarryoutameetingnottellingtheparticipantstherealobjectiveofthemeet-ing,andusetheopportunitytoinformthegovern-mentthatthecommunityisinfullagreementwiththeproject.

KNOWthelegislation,stopanypossiblemisuseofcommunitymeetingsand,whenevernecessary,clarifythatmeetingsarenotsatisfyinglegalrequirement(suchaspriorconsultation).Keepyourownminutesofthemeeting,andaskthecompanytoprovideyouwiththeirminutesofthemeeting.Getasmuchinformationfromthecompanyaspossible:nameofcompanyofficials,wheretheyarefrom,addresses,telephone,andspecificinformationontheconces-sions(concessioncode,boundaries,andphysicalextentinhectares).Askthemforamapshowingconcessions.Iftheycannotorwillnotdeliverthisinformation,itmaybewisetopreventthemeetingfromtakingplaceuntiltheysupplyalltheinformationyouneed.

Company Tactic � — Manufacture the social license

Whilenegotiatingwithacommunity,thecompanymaydecidetonegotiatewith(andthusstrengthen)agroupthatdoesnotrepresentthecommunity’sinter-ests,ifitfeelsthegroupwillbeeasiertomanipu-late.Thisinitselfisdivisive,andisonemeasureusedtodestabilizeacommunity’sdefensemecha-nisms.Italsocandrasticallyupsetacommunity’spowerbalance.Iftherearenomanipulablegroupsinthecommunity,thecompanymightsimplycreateanewonewithpeopletheycancountontosupportminingdevelopment.

Thisgroupwillbethecompany’schampioninthepublicarena,notonlydefendingandactivelysupportingtheproject(financiallybenefittingfromthecompany’spresenceallthewhile),butalsoimplementingsomeofthecompany’son-the-groundsocialprograms.But,themostimportantobjectiveis

�. Company Tactics & Community Countermeasures

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you — and then you win.”

—Gandhi

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forthefalsecommunitygrouptogivethecompanythelegitimacyitneedstoconvincethepublic,theirinvestorsandgovernmentofficialsthattheirprojecthasobtainedthenecessarysociallicense.

Ifacommunityisabletodefeatthistactic,thecompanyanditsready-madedevelopmentorgani-zationmayworkwithnearbycommunitiestoturntheseagainstthecommunitywhichisresistingtheirproject.Theendresultisinter-communityanimosityandagreatincreaseinpressureonthoseresistingtheproject.

Countermeasures

Beforethecompanyhasachancetocreatetheirorganization,educatecommunitymembersaboutthistactic.Ifit’stoolatetostop,denounceittoasmanypeopleandorganizationsaspossibletopreventthefalseorganizationfromsigningcontractswithotherorganizationsorgovernmentinstitu-tions.Makesurethecompany’sinvestorsinpartic-ular,othercommunitiesandgovernmentofficialsareawarethatthesupportthefalseorganizationisgivingisjustthat:false.

Company Tactic � — False front organization

Ifthecompanycannotfindawillingallyamongexistingcommunityorganizations,itmaycreateanew“localdevelopmentorganization”tosmoothitsway.Oritmaycreateaparallelgoverningstructure,orempowerapro-companyleader.Theremaybealotofmoneyavailablerightawayforthisnewgroup.InGhana,thegoldminingcorporationsdidthiswithyouthgroups,farmers’groups,faith-basedgroups,andwomen’sgroups.Insomecasestheyhelpedcreatethesegroups,whileinothercasestheysimplycorruptedtheirleaders.

ThecompanymaydothisbeforeoraftertheEIA.Theirobjectivesare(a)tocreatemistrustwithinthecommunityand(b)notbeseenastheBigNastyForeignerorBigBusiness,butratherasworkingthroughatrustedlocalorganizationorlocalperson,ideallysomeonewithagoodreputation.

Countermeasures

Youneedtobeonestepaheadandtrytoreachthoseinfluentialpeoplebeforethecompanyrecruitsthem.Givethemreliableinformationabouttheproposedprojectinordertogetthemonyourside.Ifyouareunabletodoso,exposeanyconflict

ofinteresttheymayhaveorotherreasontobesuspicious.

Ifyoucan,showthattheminingcompanyhasbeendishonestinthepast.Pointoutthatthecompany’srealinterestisextractingtheresourcesandmakingmoney,notthewell-beingofthecommunity.

Company Tactic � — Signing trick

Thecompanymaysendrepresentativestothehomesofunemployedpeoplepromisinghigh-payingjobsiftheysigna“jobapplication”whichisreallyapeti-tionshowingsupportfortheproposedmine.TheRosemontCopperCorporationdidthisinanefforttosecureaconcessioninSantaRita,Arizona.IntheZamboangaPeninsulaofthePhilippines,TorontoVentures,Inc.deceivedtheSubanenindigenouspeoplebyhavingthemsignablanksheetofpaperandlateruseditas“evidence”oftheirgivingconsenttoTVI’sminingproject.This“signingtrick”isalsoaformofwhatactivistscall“shamconsultation.”

Countermeasures

Donotfallforthistrick.Beverycarefulbeforesign-inganything.Ifpeoplecannotread,thenhaveatrustedassociateorfriendreadthedocumentforthem.Neversignablanksheetofpaper-makesuretheheadingonthepapercoincideswithwhatyoursignatureisneededfor.

Company Tactic � — Purchase of critical land

Thecompanywillusuallyattempttopurchaseaccessroutesandothercriticallandfromlocalpeople.Sometimesthisisdonebyforcinglocalfarmerstoselltheirlandatpricesdeterminedbythecompany.Andtheysometimesuselandpurchasingtodebili-tatecommunities.

Countermeasures

Thebestwaytocombatthisisthrougheducationandorganization.Ifpeopleunderstandthatsellinglandtothecompanywillputtheirowncommunityatrisk,orthatitmayprovokelandinvasionbylandtraffickerswishingto“makeakilling”buyingandsellingland,theymaybelesslikelytosellout.Also,startcommunitydiscussionsabouteconomicalter-nativestominingsothatpeoplecanimagineneweconomicopportunitiesiftheykeeptheirproperties.

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Company Tactic � — Offers of services, projects and jobs

Thecompany’sobjectivehereistoseducesomeofthelocalresidentsandtherebydividethecommuni-ty,inordertoobtaintheneededsociallicense.

Thecompanymaypromiseservicesandinfrastructureprojectstolocalcommunitiesandgovernment,suchasroads,bridges,clinics,schools,afulltimedoctorandmedical/dentalcare,andeducationscholarships.Theymayalsoofferhigh-payingjobs(forawhile),singlingoutcertainfamilymembersandindividu-als,tosowresentmentanddistrust.Theymaydothisdirectly,orthroughafrontorganization,buteveryonewillknowthatcompanymoneyisbehindit.

Whilesomepromisesarekept(atleastatthebegin-ning)manyarenot.Theeffectistoimplantthenewideathatthecommunityis“poor,”andtomakemate-rialwealthmoreimportantthanculturalandsocialwealth.

Thisstrategyofminingcompaniescreatesdepen-denceontheirpresenceandthegoodsandservicestheyprovide.Itisimportanttomakepeopleawareofthedangersofthisstrategyanditsconsequences.Dependenceoncompanyservicessetsthesocietyupforeventualcollapsewhenthecompanyleaves.

Countermeasures

Thisisverydifficulttocounter.Communitiesmaybedesperateforaroadoraclinic.Ifthere’sahighrateofunemployment,manypeoplemaywanttoworkforthecompany.Thistacticismuchmoreeffectiveinareasabandonedbygovernments,wherecommu-nitiesmaynothaverealalternatives.Thewaytoaddressthisistotrytogetlocalgovernmentsorfriendlyfoundationstoprovideservicesandinfra-structure.Bynowyoushouldhavedistributedasmuchinformationaboutthecompanyandtheproj-ect’sharmfulimpactsaspossibleandenlistedthesupportoflocal,regional,nationalandinternation-alallies.Constantlyremindthemthatwhateverthecompanyisoffering,itisnotworththepermanentanddevastatingsocial,environmental,andeconomiccostsoftheproject.

Reflect before signing.Ifyourcommunitywantstonegotiateaneconomicdealwithanextractivecompany,letthemknowthatsuddeninfluxesofmoneyhaveresultedinlongtermpovertyforthemajority,irreplaceablelossofsocialandculturalvalues,long-termenvironmentaldegradation.If,on

theotherhand,theyvaluetheircommunity’swell-beinginallitsdimensions—notjusttheeconomicone—thentheywillopposethecompaniesandtheirfakeversionofdevelopmentand“well-being.”

Youwilldefinitelywanttocreateeconomicalterna-tivestomininginyourcommunity.

Company Tactic � — Infiltration and surveillance

Ifenoughmoneyisatstake,thecompanymayresorttospyingontheoppositiontolearnaboutthecommunity’splansandactions.Theymaysetupdigitalvideocamerasandelectronicrecordingequip-menttomonitorkeyspots.Occasionally,companieshaverecordedphoneconversationandmeetings,andinterceptedthee-mailofcommunityactivists.

Theymayenlistorplantspiesinyourcommunityororganizationtogatherinformationtouseagainstyou.Thespymaybecomeacorememberofyourgroup,joiningprotestactionsandhostingactionmeetings.Usuallythespyistheretogatherinforma-tion,butsometimesthespymaypushthegrouptodoactions(usuallyillegalones)thatintheendhurtyourcause.

Countermeasures

Whendiscussingdelicatematters,usethesafestmeansofcommunicationpossible,suchasface-to-facemeetingsinplacesunlikelytobemonitoredbythecompanyorgovernment,andonlywithpeopleyoutrust.Land-linetelephonecommunicationismuchsaferthancell-phone,butnotcompletely.Emailsarenotsafe.Thereareprogramstoencryptemailtext,suchasHushmail(www.hushmail.com).Thesearemuchsaferthanregularemail,butstillnot100%safe.

Thereisalmostalwaystheriskofbeinginfiltratedandspiedon,sothisistobeexpectedandshouldnotmakeyouoryourorganizationoverlyparanoid.Ifyoudiscoveraspy,denouncethispersonandthecompanypublicly(andnon-violently),andmakethisviolationknowntothelocalandnationalmediaandtoyourinternationalallies.Ultimately,however,thebeststrategyistomakesureyourgroupmaintainsitsmoralintegrityandissupportiveofoneanother.

Company Tactic 9 — SLAPP suits

SLAPP(StrategicLitigationAgainstPublicParticipation)lawsuitsaretypicallycivilorcriminal

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defamationlawsuitsbroughtbycompaniesortheirallies.Theirpurposeistointimidatelocaloppo-nents,andtocostthemtimeandmoneydefendingthemselves.

Countermeasures

Hireagoodlawyerfromthestarttoadviseyou,andtrytoformtightallianceswithwell-knowninterna-tionalorganizations,sothatthecompanyknowsthatwhentheytakeyouon,youwillbesupportedbytheseinternationalorganizations.Most“responsible”largecompanieswon’tgoafterpeasantsbecauseitwillmakethemlookridiculous,especiallyiftheyknowthatsomeonelikeAmnestyInternationalorGlobalWitnessisreadytobackyou.

Company Tactic �0 — Company claims it’s no use fighting

Theminingcompanymayclaimthatifyoufightthemoff,anotherminingcompanywillthencomeinwithalesscommunitysensitive,less‘environmental-lyfriendly’proposal.‘Youarebetteroffwithus,’theyclaim.Suchclaimsarenonsense.

Countermeasures

Letthemknowthatanyothercompanywillbefacedwiththesameoppositionastheoneyoujustmount-edforthem.Businesspeoplewouldthinktwiceaboutinvestingmillionsofdollarsinre-developinga‘controversial’concessionsurroundedbycommunitieswhich,throughtheirinitialfight,havegrownstron-gersocially,culturallyandperhapseveneconomically.However,onemuststillremainvigilant.

Company Tactic �� — Lawsuits, trumped up charges, and death threats

Ifthecompanyfeelsthreatenedbytheopposition,itmaystartusingaggressivetactics,suchaslawsuits,trumped-chargestoimprisontheopposition’slead-ers,orevendeaththreats.

Inordertopubliclydiscreditmainoppositionlead-ers,acompanymayspreadfalserumorsormanu-facturefalsecrimes.Insomecases,companieshavebeensuspectedofpayingminorstosaytheyhavebeenraped,thustriggeringcriminallawsuits.Similarly,theymaypaypersonstosaytheyhavebeenrobbedorassaultedbykeyleaders.Forthis,leadershavetobeawarethesethingscanhappenandtobecarefulnottofallintothesekindsoftraps.

InIntag,Ecuador’scase,whenthecompany“niceguy”tacticsfailed,strong-armapproacheswereused,includingpayinglocal/statepolicetoharassanti-miningactivists.Thiscanescalateintodeaththreatsagainstoppositionleaders.

Countermeasures

GetintouchwithHumanRightsorganizationsyoucantrustandreportthesetacticsrightaway.Askthemtoperiodicallyvisityourareaandhavethemproducereportsyoucanuseatalllevelstodenouncethecompany’sactions.Trytogetinternationalobserverstoliveinthecommunitiesandrecordaggressiveand/orillegalbehavior.

Ifkeyleadersreceivedeaththreats,theymayhavetobeprotectedbyothercommunitymembersaround-the-clock.Insomecases,dependingonthetrust-worthinessofthepolice,youcanaskfor24hourpoliceprotection.Youmayneedtoprovide“bonuspay.”Besuretodenounceallthreatstotheauthori-ties.Aninternationallettercampaign(e.g.AmnestyInternationalandGlobalResponse)canalsoprotectcommunityleaders.

A paper trail is indispensable.Keepallnotes,minutesofmeetings,copiesofdocuments,photo-graphs—anythingthatyoumightbeabletouselaterincourtsortodiscreditthecompany—inasafeplace(orseveralsafeplaces).

Company Tactic �2 — Security forces, para-militaries, beatings, disappearances

Inthefaceofsignificantopposition,companiesmayhiresecurityfirmstoprotecttheirpersonnelandinfrastructure(suchasminingcamps).Thisisoftenmeantonlytointimidateyou,butthenextstepisparamilitarization—averyseriousstageofthestrugglewhereyourphysicalwell-beingmaybethreatened.

Countermeasures

Ifyoususpectthismayhappen,highlightthethreatinadvance.Manycommunitiesandgovernmentswillrejectthepresenceofparamilitariesorprivatesecu-rityforces.Checktoseeifthese“security”companiesarelicensed,andifthepersonnelarelicensedtocarryfirearms.Humanrightsorganizationsmaybeabletoaccessinformationabouttheparamilitarygroupsthatyoumaynotbeableto.Takephotographsandmakevideooraudiorecordingsasevidenceoftheiractivities.

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Securityforces,hiredthugs,andotherpersonswork-ingwiththecompanymayresorttobeatingsanddisappearances,soyoushouldbepreparedforthispossibility.Sharereportsofanyhumanrightsviola-tionswithinternationalhumanrightsorganizationssuchasAmnestyInternationalandGlobalWitnesstoimmediatelymakeitaninternationalissue(includ-ingtheUN,ortheequivalentoftheInteramericanHumanRightsCommissionorCourt).Youcanseekprotectivemeasuresbeforehandifyoucanprovedeaththreats.Thiswillforcethecountrytoputinplacesuchmeasures,andalsobringsitintotheopenandmayhelppreventcrimes.

Ifyoususpectthatthecompanyispayingpolicetoharassprotesters,keepbackupcopiesofimportantpapersand/orcomputerfilesinaseparateplace,incasetheyareseizedordestroyed.Obtaincopiesofcontractsbetweenthepoliceorarmedforcesandthecompany,andpublicizethese(youmayhavetogothroughthePublicDefenderorOmbudsman,throughafriendlyParliamentarianorCongressperson,orresorttousingthecourts).

Ifkeyleadersreceivedeaththreats,theymayhavetobeprotectedbyothercommunitymembersaround-the-clock(seeprevioussection).

Company Tactic �� — The company comes back

Ifyousucceedinyoureffortstostopthemining,thesamecompanyoradifferentcompanymaycomebacklaterandtryagain,perhapswithdifferenttactics.

Countermeasures

Bewatchfulforpossiblepreliminaryactivitythatwouldindicateanotherthreat,andstopitbeforeitgathersmomentum.

KeepcheckingtheInternetforrumorsofsaleofconcessionstoothercompanies.Makesureyouupdateyourwebpagehighlightingtheinvestmentrisksoftheproject.Ifyougetwindofnewsofacompanyinterestedinbuyingouttheconcessions,tryandwritetothemimmediately,highlightingtheproblemsthatmaybecrucialforthem,especial-lyfromaninvestmentpointofview(risksofcivildisorders,take-overofprojectfacilities,possibleprotectedspeciesimpacted,andoppositionoflocalcommunitiesandorgovernment)

Success is Possible!

Withhardwork,patienceandpersistence,assaultsbyextractionindustriescanbedefeated,ortheirimpactcanbegreatlyreduced.Therewardisthecontinuedgoodhealthofthecommunityanditsenvironment.

Tambogrande, Peru

In2005,theManhattanMineralsCorporationannouncedplanstobuildamassiveopen-pitgoldandcoppermineinTambogrande,Peru.Nearly50%ofthepopulationwouldhavebeendisplaced.Butcommunitymembersweredeterminedtoprotecttheircleanwatersource,theirmango,papaya,andlemonharvests,andtheirwayoflife.Aftermanydemonstrations(someofthemwithtenthousand

people),roadblockades,andapopularreferendumrejectingthecompany’sproposals,thecompanyfinallywithdrewitsplan.

Intag, Ecuador

ThecommunitiesoftheIntagregionofEcuadorareanexampleofsuccessfulresistancetominingproj-ects.DECOIN,alocalenvironmentalNGO,helpedorganizetheresistanceandhasbeentheprincipalorganizationconfrontingtheminingthreatsince1995.DECOINsaid“Onethingwefeelwasessen-tialtothesuccesswastotakethestruggleoutofthelocalscenarioassoonaspossible.Todothis,wesimultaneouslyworkedonthelocal,regional,nation-alandinternationallevels.Thisincludededucatingallthelocalstakeholders(includinglocalgovern-ments)onthesocialandenvironmentalimpactsof

�. Conclusion and Case Histories

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mining,forminglocal,regionalandnationalallies,helpingtocreatelocalalternativeeconomicactivi-ties,constantlyinformingtherestofthecountryandtheworldofthethreatsandsituationontheground,andpresentingseverallegalchallengestotheproject.

AfundamentalkeytosuccessinIntagwasthecreationofmanycivil-societyorganizationsworkingincommunity-basedeconomicdevelopment.Strongcommunityorganizationsareessentialinachievingsuccesswhenconfrontingextractiveindustries.The

supportofalllocalgovernmentsalsoplayedheav-ilyinthesuccessfuloutcome,aswellasthecreationofmanyalternativeformsofdevelopment-suchascommunityecologicaltourismandshade-growncoffeeproduction.Therearemany,manyothermeasuresthat,togetherwithcommunitiesandotherorganizationsandgroups,weimplemented.

Thekeyduringtheentirestruggleistoremainrelentlessly vigilant and persistent!

Pleasenote:thissectionhighlightsafewresourcesoutofmanythatareavailable.Formuchmoreinfor-mation,pleaseseethisGuide’scompleteResourcessectionwhichispostedatwww.globalresponse.org

GeneralSearchthesesitesfordetailedinformationontheimpactsofmining:

Mining Watch Canadawww.miningwatch.ca

Mines and Communitieswww.minesandcommunities.org

Oxfam Americawww.oxfamamerica.org

Earthworkswww.earthworksaction.org

Banks and International Financial InstitutionsThe Bank Information Center(BIC)canhelpyougetinformationaboutbanksthatmayprovideloanstotheminingcompanyinyourcommunity.BICcanalsohelpyoupressurethebankstodenyloansortoenforcestrictenvironmentalandsocialstandardsiftheydoprovideloanstotheminingcompanyinyourcommunity.

1100HStreet,NWSuite650Washington,DC20005USAPhone:+202-737-7752info@bicusa.org•www.bicusa.org

Environmental Impact AssessmentsFirst Nations Environmental Assessment Technical Working Group Toolkit.ThepurposeofthistoolkitistoassistFirstNationsinBritishColumbia(BC),butitisapplicabletomanyplaces.ThefocusisoncommunitieswhoserightsandtitleandtreatyrightsmaybeaffectedbyaprojectundergoinganEA.www.fneatwg.org/toolkit.html

Human Rights Impact AssessmentsRights & Democracy developedamethodologyforassessingtheimpactofcompaniesonthehumanrightsofcommunities,whichhasbeenimplement-edinmanynationsandisavailableinwrittenform(InvestinginHumanRights).

SearchforVolume 1: Human Rights Impact Assessments for Foreign Investment Projects,andVolume 2: Getting It Right: A Step-by-Step Guide to Assess the Impact of Foreign Investments on Human Rightsatwww.dd-rd.ca/site

Legal AssistanceCenter for International Environmental Law(CIEL)usesinternationallawandinstitutionstoprotecttheenvironment,promotehumanhealth,andensureajustandsustainablesociety.CIELprovides

�. Resources

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legalcounsel,policyresearch,analysis,advocacy,education,training,andcapacitybuilding.1350ConnecticutAvenue,NWSuite#1100Washington,DC20036Phone:+202-785-8700Info@ciel.org•www.ciel.org

Environmental Defender Law CenterEDLCprotectsthehumanrightsofindividualsandcommunitiesindevelopingcountrieswhoarefight-ingagainstmines,damsandotherprojectsthatharmtheenvironment.EDLCenlistsprobonolawyersfrompremierlawfirmstodefendenvironmentaldefenders.andhelpcommunitiesconduct“localvotes”tostopminingprojects.

ForinformationonLocalVotes,see:www.edlc.org/resources/local-votes/law/votes-and-human-rights

EnvironmentalDefenderLawCenter812S.ThirdAvenue,Bozeman,MT59715,USATel:+406-586-8294,Info@edlc.org,www.edlc.org

Letter-writing CampaignsGlobal Response.GlobalResponsecanhelpyougettheattentionofdecisiónmakersingovernementandcorporationsbyorganizinginternationalletter-writ-ingcampaigns.Thesecampaignscangreatlyincreaseyourchanceofsuccessindefendingyourcommuni-ty’srightsandnaturalresources.POBox7490;Boulder,Colorado80306USA.Tel:+303-444-0306www.globalresponse.orgaction@globalresponse.org

Media“PreparingthePressPacket,”publishedbyEEandMediaGazette

Thisisanexcellentresourcethatwillhelpyouprovidethemediawithconcise,timelyandcompellingnewsworthydocumentsandinforma-tionconcerningyourorganization,itsissuesandtheeventsaboutwhichyouwanttoreceivenewscoverage.www.uwsp.edu/cnr/neeap/Media/preparing_the_press_packet.htm

ForassistanceonhowtowriteaPressRelease,seethefollowingwebsites:www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp

www.prwebdirect.com/pressreleasetips.php

The CAAT Media Guide: www.caat.org.uk/getinvolved/mediaguide.php

Monbiot: An Activists Guide to Exploiting the Media: www.urban75.com/Action/media.html

Direct ActionHandbook for Non Violent ActionbySandersonBeckWorldPeaceCommunications,2002www.san.beck.org/NAH1-Nonviolence.html

The Ruckus SocietyP.O.Box28741Oakland,CA94604,Phone:+510-763-7078.www.ruckus.org

TheRuckusSocietyofferstrainingsandotherresourcesfororganizationsplanningdirectactions.RuckusSocietytrainershaveyearsofexperiencesuccessfullyteaching,planning,andcarryingoutsuchactions.

198 Methods of Non-Violent Actionhttp://65.109.42.80/organizations/org/198_methods-1.pdf

Technical Assistance and Technical Research SourcesThe Canary Institute for Mining, Environment and Healthconductsresearchandeducationproj-ectsonminingandhumanhealth.Suite508,CityCentreBuilding,250CityCentreAvenueOttawa,OntarioK1R6K7,Canadatel.+613-569-3439info@canaryinstitute.cawww.canaryinstitute.ca

The Center for Science in Public Participation CSP2providestrainingandtechnicaladvicetograss-rootsgroupsonwaterpollutionandnaturalresourceissues,especiallythoserelatedtomining,224NorthChurchAvenue,Bozeman,Montana,USA59715,Csp2@csp2.orgwww.csp2.org

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Research on CorporationsCorpwatch.CorpWatchinvestigatesandexposescorporateviolationsofhumanrights,environmentalcrimes,fraudandcorruptionaroundtheworld.Theyworktofosterglobaljustice,independentmediaactivismanddemocraticcontrolovercorporationsandareagoodsourceofinformationongovern-mentsandcorporatepractices.1611TelegraphAvenue,#720Oakland,CA94612USATel:+510-271-8080www.corpwatch.org

Information on company contracts and agreements:Tech Agreementcontracts.onecle.com/harken/cab.apa.1994.08.01.shtml

Information on companies that are publicly traded in the U.S.:US Securities and Exchange Commission www.secinfo.com•www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml

Information on companies that are publicly traded in Canada:SEDARwww.sedar.com

Information on companies that are publicly traded in the United Kingdom:www.companieshouse.gov.uk

Mines and Communities www.minesandcommunities.org

The Data Centerwww.datacenter.org

Essential Information www.essential.org

The Corporate Research Project www.corp-research.org

The Corporate Accountability Project www.corporations.org

Minesite.comforindependentnewsandcommen-taryoncompanies:www.minesite.com/companies.html

The Multinational Monitor magazine

Centre for Research on Latin America and the Caribbean(thiswebsitecontainsalargeamountofresourcesbycompanyandbycountry):www.yorku.ca/cerlac/mining.htm

If Mining ProceedsForinformationaboutminingstrugglesandsuccess-fulstrategiesforchallengingcorporationsseeJeffConantandPamFadem,2008,A Community Guide to Environmental Health.

Hesperian Foundation,Berkeley,California.www.hesperian.org/publications_download_EHB.php

Chapter21containshelpfulinformationonhowtoprotectandrestorethehealthofpeopleandecosys-temsafteramineoperationhasbeguninyourcommunityandaftersuchoperationsclosedown.

ForexcellentinformationonunderstandingtheeconomiccostsandbenefitsofminingseeOxfamAmerica,2009,Metals Mining and Sustainable Development in Central America: An Assessment of Benefits and Costsatwww.oxfamamerica.org/newsandpublications

Foundations and Other Sources of Financial SupportSeeadditionalResourcessectionforthisGuideatwww.globalresponse.org

Books, Articles, Reports and FilmsSeeadditionalResourcessectionsectionforthisGuideatwww.globalresponse.org

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�. Use press releases — but don’t rely on them

Issueapressreleasewheneveryourgroupactsorrespondstoevents.Itmustbeaboutsomethingthathashappened,notjustanopinion.(“Thegroupstat-edthatitwasoutrageous...”ratherthan“Itisoutra-geous...”).YoucanfindadviceonpressreleasesintheCAATMediaGuide(seebelow).

�. Talk to journalists

Veryfewjournalistswillactonapressreleasealoneiftheydon’tknowthegroupconcerned.Phonearoundallthejournalistswhohavebeensentyourreleaseandbraceyourselffordisappointments.Halfofthemwillclaimnottohavereceiveditandmostoftheotherswon’tbeinterested.Keepgoing.Thechancesarethatyouwillfindsomeonewhowantstoknowmore.Andifyouphoneaftereveryreleasethey’llgetusedtoyou.

�. Build contacts

Don’tstopphoningjournalistswhodon’tgiveyoucoverage.They’remorelikelytodosoonceyou’vespokenafewtimes.Stayintouchespeciallywiththosewhoareinterested.Eventually,youwillfindthemphoningyouforcomments.Agoodrelation-shipwithoneortwojournalistsisworthahundredpressreleases.

9. Be available

Journalistsoftenneedaquoteonshortnotice.Iftheycanrelyonyoutogivethatquote,theywillkeepcomingback.Trytoensurethatacampaignspokespersonisavailableatshortnoticeasoftenaspossible.Thisdoesn’talwayshavetobethesameperson.(Youcanhavearest!)Agoodsolutionofteninvolvesamobilephoneformediacalls.

�0. Keep going

Medialiaisonishardwork,especiallywhenyou’renewtoit.Don’tgiveup!Themoreyoudo,themorecontactsyouwillacquireandtheeasieritwillbecome.Keepyourpressreleasesandphonecallsregular.

Localandregionalmediaarevitaltosuccess-fulcampaigning,andtheyaretooinfluentialtobeignored.Localactivistscanmakeabigdiffer-encebyhavingacoherentstrategyforapproachingthemediaintheirarea.Don’tworryifyou’venotworkedwiththemediabefore—hereare10tipstostartyouonyourway.

�. Make media a priority

Mediaisvitaltothesuccessofyourcampaign,butisoftennotthoughtaboutuntiltheendofacampaignplanningprocess.Bymakingitcentralfromthestart,youcanbemuchmoreeffective.

2. Offer news

Themediahaveaverynarrowideaofwhatisnewsworthy.Somethingisonlynewsifitisnew.Discussionsofopinions,nomatterhowimportant,arenotnews,butyoucanmakethemintonews.Beimaginative!

�. Keep control of your message

Decidewhatyouwanttosayandsayitassimplyaspossible.Sticktoyourpointandkeeprepeatingit.Ensurethatmembersofyourgroupareallgivingthesamemessage.Don’tunderminestrongargumentsbyaddingweakonesorallowanyonetoleadyouintotangentsortrivialities.Becalmandconcise.

�. Make it local

Thetypicallocalnewspaperisunconcernedaboutanythingbeyonditsownarea.Makeyournewslocal.

�. Keep it human

Adeathisatragedy,amilliondeathsisastatistic.Findingahumanangleiswellworththeeffort.Isanunlikelyperson(suchasaretiredcolonel)join-ingaprotest?Hasalocalcelebrityendorsedyourcampaign?

Appendix A: Using Local Media

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Police attacking mining resisters at Intag, Ecuador (photo: Carlos Zorrilla)

Rosia Poieni Copper mine in Romania (photo: Tibor Kocsis, Flora Film)

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Mining damage in Bellavista, Costa Rica (photo: Scott Cardiff, Earthworks)

Mine dump at Porgera, Papua New Guinea. Mining leaves huge piles of contaminated material and ugly scars (photo: Lloyd Cutler, Earthworks)

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Contaminated water flowing from Polar Star Mine, Skamania County, WA. Poisons from mines can poison drinking water, kill fish and vegetation, and contaminate crops. (photo: Earthworks)

Fish killed by contaminated water. Poisons from mines released into rivers can kill fish and vegetation (photo: China Environmental News).