Statement from the Community of Diaguita Patay Co on Barrick's 'El Alto' exploration project
As the Diaguita Patay Co Indigenous Community, we express our firm opposition to Barrick Gold's new attempt to encroach on our territory through its “El Alto” mining exploration project, located in the same area impacted by the failed Pascua Lama mine. This is not about a new project. Rather, it represents a recycled strategy that is underhanded and opportunistic, aimed at bypassing the court ruling that ordered the permanent closure of Pascua Lama due to the irreparable environmental harm it caused.