El Salvador - January 2025

Metal mining has been reintroduced in El Salvador after a years-long ban on the extractive activity. In December, the Legislative Assembly passed a bill to lift the ban that, according to its proponent, President Nayib Bukele, is a way to promote economic growth through the responsible use of natural resources. The law entered into force this January. Metal mining was banned in 2017 after environmental campaigns and reports of significant water pollution in the country; El Salvador had been the first country to adopt this kind of environmental protection measure. The new legislation establishes state control over the extraction of metals, and some provisions to minimize its harmful effects, such as the prohibition of mercury in gold mining and of extraction in certain protected areas. Environmental activists have protested against the new legislation, warning about the effects on health, safe-drinking water and the environment.  

Sources: elsalvador.com, France 24, AP, The Guardian, BBC