Photo: Johanna von Braun
l Defending our territory: the biocultural community protocol of Alto San Juan, Colombia 133
Mechanised illegal mining causes a loss of forest resources, drastic changes in land use and pollution of water
sources.
ities and development projects that are
unaware that the local internal management structure is a legal entity. The
problems are exacerbated when the State
does not facilitate the monitoring of illegal
mining activities which lead to the progressive degradation of natural resources. In
addition, the process of consultation is not
properly conducted before development
projects are implemented, and when
consultations are done, they have no agreements and are not binding.
Also, the traditional practices that
promote cultural and biological diversity
are not sufficiently recognised by actors
from outside the territory. This hampers
the recognition of land rights; and the
community lacks confidence in cultural
safeguards when faced with major development projects or big businesses.
Community practices
The traditional production practices of the
Alto San Juan community constitute an
integrated management and production
system, which enhances the well-being of
ecosystems. The rate of extraction of natural resources favours natural dynamics,
taking into consideration different soils
and species, and the timing and patterns of
extraction. Traditional mining of alluvial
gold is a comprehensive cultural production system that encourages family and
collective work, the recovery of soil structure and the regeneration of vegetation
cover. It also promotes food crops by avoiding metal contaminants.
To maintain these traditional techniques, ensure sustainable production and
prevent habitat degradation, traditional
mining families developed a community
cooperative – Ore Verde (Green Gold). This
promotes diverse production activities,
responsibility for environmental issues,
sustainable use of natural resources,
market access at fair prices, the strengthening of endogenous development models
and capacity building. 3 It sets out ten
criteria for the cultural values associated
with mining, including the distribution of
3 Local development refers to the concept of endogenous development, a model that helps
to strengthen the internal capacity of the local community to strengthen their culture and
economy and maintain them over time.