Introduction
Once declared by former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as being “the greatest gold mine in the world”, the open pit mining project is located in Cajamarca, Tolima in Colombia. It is situated in the Andean region in the north-central part of the country. In 2007, Tolima had a population of 19,789.
Due to its importance for national markets, Tolima is known as the “agricultural belt of Colombia”. Some of the major tributaries of the Magdalena River flow through it. The area adjacent to the Central Magdalena River is characterised by its gold, wood, oil, carbon and uranium (PASM, 2009), and consequently disputes arise between various multinational companies who run exploitation projects, and farmers who cultivate and trade many agricultural products. Tolima is also home to three national parks: Los Nevados, Las Hermosas and Nevado del Huila.
The municipality of Cajamarca covers an area of 51,528 hectares (127,328 acres) in Tolima, and 79 percent of it belongs to the Central Forest Reserve, created by Law 2/1959. South African company AngloGold Ashanti has a mining concession of 515.75 hectares (1274 acres) in Cajamarca, that comprises La Luisa, Paloma, Bolivar and Diamante, where the La Colosa Project is being developed.
Click here for the factsheet (4 pages): FS_012_ La Colosa
