Informative Summary

A summary from the latest news related to the Conga Project and local development.

Jorge Tirado: Mining in Celendín is the beginning of a “boom” period
Regarding to the mining subject in the province of Celendín, Jorge Tirado Merino, President of the the Celendín management support commission in Lima, emphasized "I think this is the beginning of a 'boom' period. Celendín needed an opportunity like this, and I fervently hope that my people know how to reach this goal. We, in Celendín, have the capacity to succeed. I congratulate Celendín for making its own decisions according to its rights and interests”, he added. "I hope my brothers in Celendín know how to profit from the system of water concentration to prevent the stream flows into the sea. For example, efficient trout farming, livestock genetic improvement, reforestation and other activities related to environmental issues", said Tirado.
(News published on the April 26, 2010 in the program „Caliente Noticias” broadcasted by Radio Caliente)

The Program for Reducing Chronic Malnutrition in Celendín Children is being carried out successfully
The Program for Reducing Chronic Malnutrition in Children (PREDECI - Programa de Reducción de Desnutrición Crónica) is being carried out successfully in some communities of the province of Celendín, especially in the districts of Huasmín and Sorochuco. “After two years and a half, the project results are fruitful,” commented Shenny Villoslaba Terrones, Health and Malnutrition Coordinator of the Regional Government of Cajamarca.
(News published on the April 26, 2010 in the Program „ Prensa Veraz” broadcasted by Radio Antena Uno)

Municipality of Huasmín and Conga Project work together to install a drinking water system in Huasiyuc Jadibamba
Eugenio Cruzado, President of the Administrative Board of the Drinking Water Service in the Huasiyuc Jadibamba community and the district of Huasmín, thanked the Huasmín Major and the Conga Project, for the installation of the drinking water system in that community. The work consists of 72 familiar pools, construction of two harvesting systems and two reservoirs of 10 meters3.
(News published on the April 23, 2010 in the Program “Visión Informativa” broadcasted by Imagen Televisión Channel 21)

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Social Impact Assessment

• A Social Impact Assessment has been carried out by the independent companies Metis Gaia and Knight Piésold. These consulting companies have been authorized by the Ministry of Energy and Mines and have a lot of international experience.
• This Assessment was put forward at the Public Audience on March 31st 2010.

Conga Project - Social Impact Assessment (spanish)

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Video: Conga Project – Public Audience

The Public Audience of the Conga Project took place in the small village of San Nicolas of Chaihuagon in Cajamarca on March, 31 2010 where the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Conga project were put forward.

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Town in motion

A GREAT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY
The Conga Project of Yanacocha organizes a public audience with great success.

The small village of San Nicolas of Chalhuagon was the scenery of a historic activity for the people from the villages of Huasmin, Sorochuco and La Encalada of the provinces of Celendin and Cajamarca on Wednesday, March 31.

The results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Conga Project were put forward in the Public Audience held on March, 31.

From 9 am different delegations arrived on foot, by trucks and buses, some with their community authorities, others with their majors and deputy governors. The scenery was massive. A four thousand country people attended, but only 3,094 were registered and participated officially in the audience.

In that event, all the doubts and questions were answered by technicians of Yanacocha, who presented the main features of the Conga Project, and also by specialists of the consulting company in charge of the Environmental Impact Assessment.

Darío Zegarra, External Affairs Manager of the Conga Project, said: „We are very grateful with our neighbours because we have the same interest; this mining project is a great opportunity because it will generate four reservoirs which will provide more water for the agriculture activities in dry seasons”.

As it is known, a lot of critics have been surprised because they thought that Conga project steals water from the agriculture activities. This surprise lies in the construction of 4 reservoirs done by Yanacocha which will work before the mine operates and compensate fully to the affected lakes.

The representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and the Regional Direction of Energy and Mines of Cajamarca led the audience. OMBUDSMAN and the Public Ministry officials as well as deputy governors, provincial and district majors, local authorities and the community in general attended the audience.

The Audience closed a series of workshops for Citizen Participation that began several months ago following the Regulations of the Ministry of Energy and Mines as well as other consulting and reporting activities that the Yanacocha officials developed village by village.

It is expected that Yanacocha invests again in the region which would be one of the most important gold - copper projects in Peru after they have collected the citizens’ observations and the Ministry has approved the project.

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6 good reasons

If Conga becomes a mine, it will be a great chance for development because:

1. There will be more water for the fields.
2. It will promote development programs during 20 years.
3. There will be training programs and employment.
4. It will boost the local and regional economy.
5. It will allow the state to generate incomes through the taxes.
6. It will generate mining royalties for the local development.

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5 classic prejudices

Our lack of knowledge of the current mining industry.

1. The mining industry on the head of the river basin leaves towns without water
• Every mine, by law, has to guarantee the same quantity of water which users used to have before. A mine with social responsibility will look after harvesting more water for its neighbors.

2. Mining pollutes
• The laws and regulations have changed drastically. In Peru, the state protects the environmental equilibrium. A modern mine: Instead of avoiding the environmental liability (alleviation), its technicians generate more environmental assets (reservoirs, laboratories of agriculture experimentation, new technologies for ecological monitoring, etc)

3. Mining companies avoid people participation
• It is impossible to start a mining project without the EIA’s approval by the Ministry.
Activities promoting citizen participation are essential for an EIA. Activities promoting citizen participation are essential for an EIA, so a company committed to its community visits villages, talks to popular leaders, provides information materials, among other activities.

4. EIAs are cooked from the beginning
• Once the Environmental Impact Assessment is approved, a set of standards must be fulfilled by the company in order to ensure an adequate social and environmental management. An EIA must satisfy the regulatory framework of our country.

5. Mining impoverishes people
• Poverty is a problem that Government must face up. Mining royalty generates public incomes. However, a company aware of this big challenge, invests in social programs to improve the life quality of the neighbors. Therefore, they can go beyond and promote projects fostering institutional strengthening.

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4 false claims about Conga

What you can find in the Environmental Impact Assessment.

1. If lakes disappear, farmers will run out of water
• Conga will affect 4 lakes: Three of them will be replaced by reservoirs and one will increase its storage capacity.

2. Tailings will pollute all the basins
• The deposit design of the tailings incorporates all the control measures to avoid pollution in the natural environment. On the other hand, the tailings will be thicker to minimize infiltrations

3. EIA was created without people participation
• Without the audience, around 1800 people who live in the project area, have taken part in the EIA workshops besides other activities such as; visits, meeting, conferences (Thursday dialogues), and technical expositions among others.

4. Reservoirs affect the equilibrium of the zone
• Conga Project will build dykes as reservoirs. What is a dyke? They are floodgates built over natural ravines which allow storing water during rainy seasons. So, the water is stored in the same ravine without affecting the area keeping the same conditions.

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