Page Seven/ La Paz
The Mining Administrative Jurisdictional Authority (AJAM) reported that it initiated legal actions and filed a complaint with the Public Ministry against the people who entered Madidi Park with machinery.
Despite everything, since last year it has been known that mining activity in the area is growing.
The process that the Azariama Colorado Cooperative had underway was also suspended.
The executive director of the AJAM, Brenda Lafuente, reported that the entity did not grant any right to work in mining exploitation in the National Park and Natural Area of Integrated Management of Madidi, because this depends on the issuance of a certificate of compatibility of use that granted by the National Service of Protected Areas (Sernap).
A forest ranger denounced last week that 100 people escorted machinery to the banks of the Tuichi River in Madidi; explanations were demanded of them, but they threatened and forced the images taken with the cell phone to be erased. The activity is not licensed.
Lafuente explained that when the AJAM became aware of the illegal exploitation of minerals in Madidi, legal action was taken immediately and tasks were coordinated with other institutions.
A visual inspection of the place was carried out and the situation was verified to determine the number of police officers needed to carry out an operation. However, Lafuente accused opposition legislators of “hindering” the work.
This is because, he said, they made unfounded statements and alerted the people who committed the crime by entering Madidi with machinery. “You cannot risk the lives of officials, nor of police officers or communities. The procedure to follow takes several stages to achieve success in the plan that must be kept in reserve due to the strategic nature of the operations against illegal mining. The authors have been put on notice,” Lafuente pointed out.
The AJAM executive stressed that in any case the formal complaint was made to the Prosecutor’s Office based on the report of the previous inspections.
He also clarified that the request to enter the protected area by the Azariama Colorado Cooperative was nullified because the compatibility certificate granted by Sernap during the transition government is illegal. “The AJAM has rejected 97 new requests for procedures that intend to work in protected areas, because the use compatibility certificate reflects that it is an area incompatible with mining activity,” he said.
The executive did not report the situation of eight other companies and cooperatives besieging that nature reserve.
Lafuente maintained that there are preconstituted rights, but it will be verified if they do not violate environmental regulations. 8% of the Madidi Park is committed to 140 mining companies and cooperatives, as revealed by La Nube with data from AJAM.
area under pressure
- Illegal Nine companies besiege the Madidi Park for the illegal exploitation of gold on the banks of the Tuichi River, and the National Service of Protected Areas (Sernap) initiated administrative processes to restrict their activity.
- Firms There are the Playa Rica RL Unified Gold Mining Cooperative, the Santa Rosa de Apolo Gold Mining Cooperative, the Virgen del Rosario Tuichi Ltd. Gold Mining Cooperative, the Real Santa Rosa Gold Mining Cooperative Ltd., the Taruzani SRL Mining Company, the Mohima Apolo SRL Gold Mining Company, the Cooperative Suyo Suyo Ltda., Apóstol Santiago RL Mining Cooperative, Founders of Azariamas Gold Mining Cooperative.
