Ecuador’s government is proposing a plan to build a large scale copper pit mine right in the middle of one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. The potential economic gains for the people of Ecuador and Chile pale in comparison to the lasting environmental damage and strain on the farming communities presented to this region. Protect Ecuador’s forests from destructive mining and preserve habitats that exist nowhere else.

The enormous mining project would operate in the Intag region, which features small farms, low-income communities, and a lack of economic development. As developers have noticed, the Intag region is also rich in copper and gold mineral deposits. However, the ecosystem in this region is home to nearly 20% of the world’s plant species and as much of the world’s bird diversity.

If mining efforts in the Intag region are approved, native habitats will be destroyed and the air and water quality will dramatically decrease. Toxic waste will infect the food chain, and climate change will become inevitable. If approved, the open pit mine projects will contaminate the air, water, and soil quality of the forest, making it unlivable for species who have nowhere else to go. Mining in these small, rural communities will also bring corruption, disease, inflation.

Local environmental groups need our support to purchase 600 hectares of existing forest land and abandoned agricultural land to build the reserve. The reforestation efforts will not only preserve native species, but also boost the local economy and prevent labor migration to nearby cities. Please sign my petition to support the efforts of the Pucará Community Cloud Forest Reserve to purchase existing forest land and build a habitat corridor.