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In a brief statement, the government reported that environmental permits for metal mining in Honduras will be cancelled, describing the industry as harmful and stating that it will specifically prohibit open-pit mining.

The statement from the Ministry of Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mines added that natural areas with “high ecological value” will be preserved, without going into further details.

The approval of permits for mining exploitation is cancelled because they are harmful to the state of Honduras, threatening natural resources, public health and because they limit access to water as a human right.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on whether the permit cancellations will only affect new projects or whether they will also apply to existing ones.

The announcement comes from the barely one-month-old government of leftist President Xiomara Castro, who took office in January promising to bring the Central American nation “out of the abyss” caused by failed economic policies and rampant corruption.

Castro’s election manifesto released last September promised to limit mining, prior to his victory in the late November elections. The manifesto detailed 282 mining concessions handed out by previous governments through 2017.

Canada’s Aura Minerals operates an open-pit mine in western Honduras, where it has faced strong local opposition, in part due to alleged disturbances at an indigenous Maya-Chorti cemetery. Last year, the company suspended operations due to what it described as illegal blockades.

Aura Minerals’ San Andres mine processed more than 4.4 million tons of ore in 2020, producing nearly 61,000 ounces of gold.

Honduras’ mining export revenue from silver, zinc and lead projects in the country totaled nearly $130 million last year, according to central bank data, which does not include any revenue from gold shipments.