The FIRE Foundation informs the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha of the serious environmental consequences resulting from a new exploitation of «rare earth«. The area that could be affected is home to endangered species such as the little bustard and the imperial eagle, and is a colonization area for the lynx. The new mining project would jeopardize the connectivity and possible expansion of the EU Natura 2000 network in the province of India. Real city.
The International Foundation for Ecosystem Restoration (FIRE)an entity that includes researchers and academics from several European and American countries, has warned of the environmental consequences of a possible new one mining project in the province Real cityvia a letter to the Ministry of Sustainable Development of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha.
Considering the permission for mining research that the company Quantum Minería has requested from the regional government under the name “Neodymium”, FIREWORK assures in his letter that the ultimate goal of this company is the exploitation of the so-called “rare earth» (group of scarce minerals that are in high demand within the technological industry) over a large area. The area in question affects the municipalities of Santa Cruz de Mudela, Torrenueva and Valdepeñas.
The intended mining activity will have a major impact on the environment, partly due to the nature of open-pit mining. The main negative environmental impacts will be related to wildlife, high water consumption and land degradation. For example, the area under study is home to several species of endangered steppe birds, such as the little bustard, in addition to being home to four breeding pairs of the emblematic Iberian imperial eagle and a colonization area for the Iberian lynx, a fauna icon. that it is already breeding in the area.
“They are jewels of the Mediterranean fauna in which the European Union, the Government of Castilla-La Mancha and other organizations have invested and continue to invest several million euros in their recovery,” recalls José María Rey Benayas, professor of ecology at the university. of Alcalá and chairman of FIREWORKfor whom “this mining exploitation would also be irrelevant in terms of jobs created.”
The FIRE Foundation warns of damage to biodiversity
The area where Quantum Minería plans to conduct its mining research includes most of the La Nava del Conejo farm, in the municipality of Valdepeñas, which is owned by the government and managed by the Regional Institute for Research and Development in Agriculture and Forestry of Castilla-La Mancha (IRIAF), in collaboration with FIREWORK.
On this farm, FIREWORK has established an agroecological and forestry restoration field laboratory, which includes several ongoing studies. “Since 2021, this work has involved an investment of thousands of euros that would have been useless if the rare earths had been exploited on the farm or in its surroundings,” explains Rey Benayas.
Coincidentally, Quantum Minería already tried a few years ago to «rare earth» in the province of Ciudad Real, in particular in the municipalities of Torrenueva and Torre de Juan Abad, through the “Matamulas” and “Rematamulas” I and II mining projects. The report that was drawn up at the time FIREWORK on damage to the natural environment was a cornerstone of a negative environmental impact assessment (DIA) and subsequently of an unfavorable ruling by the Supreme Court of Castile-La Mancha, leading to the paralysis of those previous projects.
“Regardless of the granting of the requested research permit, no environmental impact assessment should lead to a declaration in favor of a new mining exploitation if the precedent of the DIA and the court decision regarding the previous project are taken into account,” says the president of FIREWORK.
A new rare earth mining project in Ciudad Real
It would also jeopardize connectivity and the possible expansion in the province of Ciudad Real of the Natura 2000 network, the large network of protected areas promoted by the European Union in member states. In fact, the SPA “Steppe areas of Campo de Montiel (Torrenueva sector)” is located close to the perimeter for which the mining exploration permit has been applied for. Other areas protected by the Natura 2000 network are also a short distance away, including the SPAs and SCIs “Sierra Morena” and “Sierras de Andújar” and the SPA “Campo de Calatrava”.
It’s more, FIREWORK proposes to create a SPA that would include the areas of La Nava del Conejo and Corral Rubio, located within the perimeter of the requested mining exploration. “This proposal for a new SPA is based, among other things, on the extraordinary value for ecological connectivity that the area has, which has protected areas around it at various distances,” says Rey Benayas.