Residents of some 15 municipalities in El Triunfo, in southern Honduras, have rejected an open-pit mining project proposed by a Canadian company. The government granted the company, operating under the name Los Lirios, a concession to extract gold and copper in an area of 42,000 hectares that encompasses numerous towns.

Román Romero of the local council in Ojo de Agua, one of the communities affected, told Tierramérica that the concession “took us by surprise. Suddenly the mining company was here and trying to gain favor and even offering perks to leaders to prevent opposition.”

The residents held an open community hearing that concluded with the rejection of the mining project.