Can large mining companies replace small ones?
Large scale mining won’t eradicate small-scale miners. Instead, there will be a state of coexistence between various scales of mining in the country. The government wants to legalize this [small-scale, artisan mining] activity with a new law specific to that sector, and remove all [non-sanctioned] informal activity. This initiative has our full support and the government’s commitment to provide the necessary resources to ensure compliance with this law. It is possible that the environmental requirements would be different for small-scale miners than for a large project, but the important thing is that this activity will be legalized. President Rafael Correa, has been in power two and a half years, has just been re-elected for a new four-year term. Does this election signal international stability or, to the contrary, does the recurrent change of MMP ministers – four so far – signal uncertainty? We have a very good impression of the new MMP minister Germánico Pinto, from our meetings as
