The Loma Larga Mine Fight Isn't Over — Cuencanos Still Want the Concession Cancelled Entirely

Victory Wasn't Enough

You'd think 100,000 people marching through your city would settle an argument. And for a while, it looked like it did.

In October 2025, Ecuador's environment ministry revoked the environmental license for Dundee Precious Metals' Loma Larga gold mine — the Canadian-owned project that would extract gold from the Quimsacocha páramo, just 25 kilometers southeast of Cuenca.

But here's the thing: the mining concession itself was never cancelled. And as of February 2026, Cuencanos are demanding the government finish what it started.

A Quick Recap of How We Got Here

The timeline is worth understanding because this story has been building for years:

• 2024: Ecuador's mining ministry grants environmental license to Dundee Precious Metals for Loma Larga
• January 2025: Dundee says it has all permits needed to begin work in September
• July 2025: Energy Minister Inés Manzano visits Cuenca and calls ETAPA's environmental study a "lie and a distortion." Mayor Cristian Zamora fires back that it's the national government's job to control illegal mining — not his
• September 2025: Over 100,000 Cuencanos march in the "Great March for Water" demanding the license be scrapped
• September 2025: President Noboa hands the decision to Azuay provincial authorities
• October 2025: Environment ministry revokes the environmental license

So the license is gone. Why isn't everyone celebrating?

The Concession Is Still Alive

An environmental license and a mining concession are two different things. The license gives permission to begin specific work. The concession gives long-term rights to the mineral resources themselves.

Dundee Precious Metals still holds the Loma Larga mining concession. That means they could theoretically apply for a new environmental license, or challenge the revocation in court, or wait for a more favorable political climate.

The mine sits on an estimated 926,000 ounces of gold — worth roughly $1.8 billion at current prices. That kind of money doesn't just walk away.

What Cuenca Wants

The demand from Cuencanos is straightforward: cancel the mining concession entirely. Not just the license — the whole thing. Permanently.

This position has broad support:

• Mayor Zamora has consistently opposed any mining that threatens water sources, reminding the government that "80% of Cuencanos voted against mining that affects water quality"
• ETAPA (Cuenca's water utility) has produced technical reports flagging widespread contamination risks
• Community groups in the Victoria del Portete parish — closest to the mine site — say proper consultation never happened

Why This Matters for Your Tap Water

This isn't abstract. The Quimsacocha páramo feeds the rivers that supply drinking water to Cuenca. ETAPA's technical report identified risks of mine waste contamination reaching the Tarqui and Yanuncay rivers — which flow directly through the city.

If you live in Cuenca, this is literally about what comes out of your faucet.

The Broader Mining Context

The Loma Larga fight isn't happening in isolation. Earlier this month, Ecuador shut down all mining operations in three provinces (Napo, El Oro, and Loja) after finding arsenic, cadmium, lead, and cyanide in Amazonian rivers at concentrations far above legal limits.

That action shows the government is capable of taking aggressive steps on mining when it wants to. The question is whether it will apply the same urgency to Quimsacocha.

What to Watch

• Dundee's next move: Will they challenge the license revocation in court or apply for a new one?
• Concession status: Will the government move to cancel the underlying concession?
• New National Assembly: The assembly seats in May 2026 — mining policy could shift depending on the balance of power
• Community pressure: Whether Cuencanos sustain the momentum that drove the 100,000-person march

For now, the license is dead but the concession lives on. Cuenca isn't done fighting.

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Sources: CuencaHighLife, The Cuenca Dispatch, El Mercurio, Mongabay