May 17, 2016

The Colombian Constitutional Court recently banned oil, gas, and mining activities in certain areas of high altitude ecosystems known as paramos.  This decision highlights how judicial activism serves as the pivot of the regulatory framework for the mining industry in Colombia…In March, the Colombian high court ruled that stipulations of the “National Development Plan 2014-2018” promoted by the government were unconstitutional, as they would allow environmental damages to favour economic exploitation in legally protected paramos…In 2014, the court suspended licences to operate on indigenous communities’ territory in northern Colombia, and imposed limits on the American company Drummond to prevent environmental damage in the bay of Santa Marta…Analysts anticipate costly legal claims against the Colombian government from foreign mining companies affected by the court’s decision…