ANF/La Paz
The National Service of Protected Areas (Sernap) granted the certificate of compatibility for gold exploitation to the Cooperativa Minera Azariama Colorado SRL in the National Park and Natural Area of Integrated Management Madidi, revealed the leader Edgar Villca.
The cooperative recognized that his interest is to enter the Madidi nature reserve to carry out gold mining activities. “Because mining is not prohibited, legal mining is authorized, legal and responsible exploitation,” he said.
He noted that the Mining Administrative Jurisdictional Authority (AJAM) granted them “75 crews”, each crew equivalent to 25 hectares, that is, 1,875 hectares, space for mineral exploitation in one of the most biodiverse reserves in the world.
Villca specified that they also have the certificate granted by Sernap, which delivers compatibility certificates. “The AJAM is giving us, we even already have the Sernap certification,” she commented in an interview with radio Compañera.
The leader stated that the consultation was held on November 24, 2020, that although the community previously agreed, now it no longer agrees. Moreover, they oppose the entry of the mining company.
The person in charge of Sernap Monitoring, Alejandra Salamanca, declared on Wednesday that between 2018 and 2020 illegal certifications were granted, of which there was not even documentation. Likewise, she pointed out that these 34 cases were referred to the legal department for analysis.
The Sernap certification for that cooperative is dated 2017 and another is from 2018, under the management of Abel Mamani.
