from the DataCenter's Environmental Justice Program, Spring/Summer 2002.

Information Project Supports Indigenous Mining Activists

Project Underground and the Indigenous Environmental Network have jointly formed the Indigenous Mining Campaign Project, an initiative designed to support and empower indigenous peoples to develop strategies for the protection of Mother Earth and the health of their communities against the spiritual, cultural, economic, social and environmental impacts of mining and oil extraction.

Project Underground supports the human rights of communities resisting mining and oil exploitation and the Indigenous Environmental Network is an alliance of grassroots indigenous peoples whose mission is to protect the sacredness of Mother Earth from contamination and exploitation by strengthening, maintaining and respecting the traditional teaching and the Natural Laws.

Project Underground, the Environmental Mining Council of British Colombia, the Mineral Policy Center of Australia and MiningWatch Canada have created a comprehensive, web-based relational database (The Motherlode) that contains information on the mining, oil and gas industries to serve the information needs of communities that are fighting them. The DataCenter has recently become a partner in the development and implementation of the project. We have also worked on an ongoing basis with the Indigenous Environmental Network.

The Motherlode is designed to facilitate and create the capacity to store and share information about the mining and oil industries. One of the greatest challenges facing communities is access to information about companies, projects and the potential affects of mining or oil projects in their region. Too often, in the past, it has been possible for transnational corporations to negotiate with communities in isolation, offering a one-sided approach to the “value” of mining and putting local people under enormous pressure. It is extremely difficult for these communities to access independent information about the track records of different companies and the potential effects of mining.

Much of the data communities want does exist, but in forms very difficult or expensive to access. Databases designed primarily for investors or industry analysts cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, and in any case omit crucial data on impacts and community responses. Meanwhile, non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations have amassed considerable information and expertise, but lack a means to readily pool and distribute their data.

This summer, the North American Indigenous Mining Summit, a conference organized by the Indigenous Mining Campaign Project, brought together Indigenous Peoples from North America impacted by mineral extraction related to gold, zinc and copper mining, uranium mining, coal mining and other mining activities. The DataCenter is working with Project Underground to produce profiles of mining and oil corporations that are threatening the lands of conference participants. The profiles will be created and stored in the Motherlode database and used to assist indigenous activists in power-mapping and campaign strategizing.

For further information, see Project Underground and Indigenous Environmental Network.