People and activists against lithium exploration demonstrate today in Covas do Barroso, Boticas municipality, to show that the struggle continues after the approval of the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) of the Barroso mine.
The demonstration concludes a protest action that began on Thursday with a camp in the village of Covas Barroso, where national and foreign visitors opposed to mining joined.
“This project to move forward will have to be even by force, it will have to be even against the will of the population. This is a project against everything and everyone, “said Nelson Gomes, from the association Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso, organizer of the initiative.
At the end of May, a favorable Environmental Impact Statement (DIA) was announced for the Barroso lithium mine in Boticas, Vila Real district, a decision contested by the municipality, local population and environmental organizations.
The project proposed by Savannah Resources foresees the construction of four open-pit mines and the occupation of an area of almost 600 hectares a few meters from the villages of Covas do Barroso, Romainho and Muro. If realized, it will be the largest open-pit lithium mine in Europe.
After the favorable DIA and so far, according to Nélson Gomes, “nothing has changed”.
According to the official, although this decision represents an important bureaucratic step for Savannah, “the owners still own the land and the company still has no right of access to the land and no social legitimacy to move forward with the project”.
This was the first lithium project in Portugal with a favorable EIS and, according to the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), the Barroso mine will comply with “demanding environmental requirements” and will include “a package of socio-economic compensations, such as the allocation of exploration charges (‘royalties’) due to the municipality of Boticas and, among other local benefits, the construction of a new access that avoids the disruption of populations”.
