SANTO DOMINGO, May 4 (Reuters) – The Dominican Republic’s President Luis Abinader ordered on Monday the suspension of any activity related to GoldQuest Mining’s gold and copper project, after thousands of people protested over environmental concerns.
The Romero Project, in San Juan province, is being developed by Canada’s GoldQuest, which said earlier on Monday it recognized the demonstrations and was committed to transparent development.
Governments across the region are struggling to balance the economic incentives of mining projects with environmental pledges.
While Argentina has recently legislated in favor of miners better accessing glacial regions, Panama’s biggest copper mine – also run by a Canadian firm – was forced to shut down over concerns about what critics deemed insufficient state contributions and concerns about its impact on soil, water and wildlife.
GoldQuest did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Abinader’s order to halt work.
Thousands of people took to the streets to protest on Sunday, walking about 20 kilometers through San Juan to reach the Sabaneta Dam, a key water source that they fear could be threatened by the mine.
“When citizens express worries and concerns, our duty is to act with caution and transparency,” Abinader said. Exploratory concessions were granted in 2005, but the project has yet to receive a permit for exploitation, he added.
“Under our administration, the initiative has remained solely in the environmental assessment phase,” Abinader said in a video message.
The company has said it would use less harmful physical extraction methods and benefit the local population in the long term, but many in San Juan province said they fear mine pollution could damage the rivers and farmlands they depend on.
Ruben Moreta, the leader of a local water protection movement, warned on Sunday that protests would continue if the president did not respond.
He noted that a diverse cross section of society turned up to protest, including teachers, doctors, agronomists, engineers, lawyers, street vendors and taxi drivers.
The Dominican Republic is home to Latin America’s largest gold mine, Pueblo Viejo, which is majority owned by another Canadian company, Barrick Gold.
An expansion of Pueblo Viejo’s tailings dams has triggered protests over recent years as hundreds of largely rural families are relocated out of their communities.
(Reporting by Paul Mathiasen, Additional reporting by Erika Santelices; Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Sarah Morland and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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