Oaxaca Community Implements Mining Ban to Safeguard Natural Resources

On February 1, 2026, the agrarian community of San Juan Coatecas Altas, situated in the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico, enacted a comprehensive ban on all mining activities within its borders. This prohibition has been formally integrated into the community’s internal statutes, establishing a significant legal and social barrier against the extractive industry. According to reports from the organization Educa, the decision was ratified during an agrarian assembly, which serves as the highest decision-making authority for the local population.

The Zapotec residents justified this defensive measure by pointing to the expansion of mining projects, specifically the San José project, which they characterize as a direct threat to the regional ecosystem and their sacred cultural heritage. A primary driver for this legislative shift was the drastic decline in water levels within local wells, a phenomenon the community attributes to the intensive operations of nearby mining firms. In the Central Valleys of Oaxaca, where mining concessions are most prevalent, nearly 80% of the territory has been granted to international firms, primarily Canadian and American companies such as Fortuna Silver Mines and Gold Resource Corp (GRC).

The new declaration explicitly prioritizes the defense of communal lands, sacred sites, native seeds, and the local flora and fauna that underpin Zapotec identity. For the first time, the Community Statute formally acknowledges the role of women as the primary custodians of common resources, including water, language, and traditional communal practices. By adopting these measures, San Juan Coatecas Altas joins a growing network of Oaxacan communities that have successfully declared their territories free from mining, exercising their fundamental right to self-determination.

In a related regional development, the Ecomuseum Cerrado Laís Aderne in the Brazilian state of Goiás continues to flourish as a living museum dedicated to the conservation of the biodiverse Cerrado biome. This initiative, built on the conceptual pillars of territory, heritage, and community, seeks to promote positive conservation actions for the Cerrado, which stands as the second-largest savanna in Latin America and is home to approximately 12,000 plant species. Named in honor of the cultural figure Laís Aderne, the ecomuseum encompasses seven municipalities and remains a vital hub for academic research and environmental advocacy throughout 2026.

Meanwhile, in the San Juan province of Argentina, the production chain for carob (algarroba) flour is being revitalized, reflecting a renewed interest in this traditional staple. The Valle Fértil Agrotechnical School is currently modernizing its facilities to increase the production of organic flour while supporting sustainable harvesting methods. The institution recently acquired 1,300 kilograms of carob pods from local harvesters, with the market price for a kilogram of flour reaching 15,000 pesos this year. In the Formosa province, specifically in El Potrillo, more than 700 families are participating in the harvest, fostering a local economic cycle that yielded approximately four and a half tons of flour in the most recent season.

These parallel events in Oaxaca, Goiás, and San Juan highlight a significant trend where local communities are actively employing legal mechanisms and traditional ecological knowledge to protect their natural and cultural foundations. Whether through the rejection of mining or the advancement of sustainable agricultural practices, these groups are demonstrating a unified effort to resist external pressures and secure their environmental legacy for future generations.