Sacred Natural Places, an Embera Legacy to the World: A Campaign for the Defense of Indigenous Lands Threatened by Megaprojects

Abstract

In various parts of the country, areas of interest to mining multinationals coincide with sacred sites of Indigenous peoples. For several years now, these companies have been making efforts to displace Indigenous communities from their territories, violating all of their rights, including the right to prior consultation for all decisions that affect them, such as subsoil exploration and exploitation. In Antioquia, the best-preserved natural forest cover largely corresponds to the boundaries of Indigenous reservations. Yet 50% of mining concessions are also located in forested areas, including territories belonging to ethnic communities. Faced with the threat that mining activity poses to their integrity, their sacred sites, and their territories in general, Indigenous peoples have developed resistance strategies, mobilizing before the national and international community to assert their right to Life.