Thousands of people in northern Peru have protested against plans for a huge open-cast goldmine in the high Andes. People in the Cajamarca region say the proposed Conga mine [joint venture Buenaventura & Newmont] will cause pollution and destroy water supplies. The US-based mining company Newmont has promised modern reservoirs to replace threatened mountain lakes...Locals say plans to replace the lakes with artificial reservoirs are inadequate. There are also fears that pollution from the mine could affect agriculture and livestock. The company behind the project - the Newmont Mining Corporation - says its plans have been drawn up in consultation with local communities and meet the highest environmental standards.