The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations recognized the Barroso region as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System in 2018. "These agroecosystems are inhabited by communities living in an intricate relationship with the land. These evolving sites are characterized by agrobiodiversity, traditional knowledge, invaluable cultures and landscapes, sustainably managed by farmers, herders, fisherfolk, and forest people in ways that contribute to their livelihoods and food security." (Photo from CCDR-Norte)
Savannah Lithium has suspended work on some parcels of land in the Municipality of Boticas, Vila Real District, due to a precautionary injunction filed in court by some landowners, reported SIC Notícias (February 6).
The injunction only covers specific plots of land which are not owned by the mining company, reported Global Banking and Finance Review (February 6).
"We confirm that we have been notified of the precautionary measure. We were expecting it, and we complied with it as normal. The teams on the ground have temporarily stopped the work they have been doing over the last two months and are now only carrying out security manoeuvres," read a statement from the company to Lusa news agency.
Savannah stated that "precautionary measures are a right established by law, as are their consequences for everyone.
"With serenity, we will treat this process like the many others already attempted by the same opposition group, and we hope to return to work quickly."
Savannah Lithium is a subsidiary of Savannah Resources, which is listed on the Alternate Investment Market (AIM) in the London Stock Exchange’s international market for smaller firms, reported Mining (May 13, 2021).
The Portuguese government had authorized establishment of an administrative easement for one year over specific parcels of land for carrying out survey and other related work to Savannah Lithium's concession contract, Mina do Barroso, for the exploration of quartz, feldspar and lithium in Boticas, the legal notice read in Diário da República on December 6.
Nelson Gomes, the president of Unidos em Defesa de Covas de Barroso, said that three landowners filed the precautionary measure but that the suspension applies to all the land affected by the government decision.
The suspension holds until a future decision by the court, according to a statement from Unidos em Defesa de Covas de Barroso.
"Our objective is precisely to stop the project because, at the moment, there is total destruction of both private land and vacant land. This invasion that is happening makes no sense to us. It is a very undemocratic process which we do not understand," Nelson Gomes told Lusa, according to SIC Notícias.
The Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) issued a favorable opinion on the Environmental Impact Assessment on May 30, 2023, for the proposed Barroso mine expansion from 542 to 593 hectares project.
During its seven years of sustained opposition to Savannah Lithium, the local coalition in Vila Real District has broadened from the United in Defense of Covas do Barroso (UDCB) and Montalegre com Vida into a coalition of 26 local, national and international supporting groups.
A United Nations envoy opposed the mine and agreed that Barroso should not become "a sacrifice zone", reported Publico (March 26, 2023).
The mining of lithium, a key element in electric cars, telephones and computers, has been a fraught issue not only in Portugal, but also elsewhere in Europe, and North and South America. Some, mostly companies and governments, argue that mining lithium is an environmentally green way forward and others, mostly residents, plead to save their environment, livelihoods and patrimony. Living in the foothills of the Serra da Estrela which, until early 2022, had been considered for lithium mining, I side with the latter.
The majority of the world’s lithium is mined in Australia and South America, and more than 97 percent of it is refined in China, reported Inside Climate News (November 7, 2021).
Portugal is being touted as a key player in the European Union’s transition to green energy. Currently, the European Union is wholly dependent on imported battery-grade lithium in an increasingly competitive global market.
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