The Prosecutor’s Office No. 1 of Villa Dolores (Córdoba) ordered the preventive closure of Integración Minera SRL following repeated complaints from environmental organizations and residents of Las Tapias. The company removed its heavy machinery from the Traslasierra Valley, although the assemblies warn that the conflict remains open and call for maintaining organization and a state of alert.
The measure is part of actions involving the Environmental Secretariat, the Mining Secretariat, and the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Unit (UFEMA). The Environmental Police had inspected the site and found various violations, which prompted the closure request.
The voice of the organizations
The Traslasierra Environmental Forum Founding Line (FATLF) and the Traslasierra Open Council were the main drivers of the complaints. For them, the company’s withdrawal is an achievement, but not a definitive victory:
- “We know it’s good news, but also that the struggle never ends”, they expressed.
- They point out that extractivist advancement in Argentina is the greatest in history and that mining interests could try to return under better conditions.
Peaceful and civil strategy
Anthropologist Luis María Jiménez, a member of the organizations, explained:
- “Popular organization yields results and there are tools within civil rights that have been little worked on from traditional environmentalism”.
- He highlighted the peaceful nature of the actions: “Being completely peaceful prevents the traditional repression of actions defending common goods”.
The closure was the first result of a process that included judicial presentations, pressure on control bodies, and public visibility actions.
An open conflict
Although the company removed its machinery, the organizations insist on maintaining mobilization:
- They warn that there are ongoing exploration requests covering 18% of the San Javier department and 14% of San Alberto.
- These areas are located on strategic water resources of the Valley, which reinforces social concern.
- They reject any form of mining exploitation: “We don’t want any type of mining in our valley, because it has been more than proven that there is no ‘sustainable mining’”, concluded Jiménez.
The closure of Integración Minera SRL in Traslasierra represents a significant advance in environmental defense, but also a reminder that conflicts over mining extractivism remain open. The experience shows how community organization and the use of legal tools can halt projects that threaten common goods, although vigilance and resistance must continue.
