Colombia plans wilderness park in place of gold mines

Colombia will create a wilderness park and prohibit mining in a region rich in gold and silver in the country's north-east where Canada's Eco Oro Minerals had hoped to produce precious metals, the government said on Tuesday.

Eco Oro, formerly known as Greystar Resources, had faced opposition from local authorities, the country's inspector general and environmental groups. They called its Angostura gold project a threat to the delicate Andean ecosystem.

The move by the country's environment ministry to create the park effectively rules out any mining in an area of more than 12,000 hectares in northern Santander province.


Source: Reuters