Introduction
The Tia Maria Project is located in the Islay Province, Arequipa, in southern Peru, within a subtropical and low montane desert ecosystem where there is only one river basin, the Tambo River Basin that spans 2,500 square kilometres (1,553 square miles). It is situated in the Cachuyo Ravine, 90 kilometres (56 miles) from Arequipa City and 9 kilometres (5.6 miles) north of the village of Cocachacra. The ravine stretches for 12 kilometres (7.5 miles), originating in Pampa Cachendo and flowing into Tambo Valley.
The project is owned by the Southern Copper Corporation (part of Grupo Mexico) that also controls, among others, the Cananea field in Mexico. In Islay, the company planned to extract copper through two open pits. The main problem in this case was water use in this dry area, which is also needed for agriculture.
Click here for the factsheet (3 pages): FS_019_Tia Maria
The project ENVJUSTICE has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement No. 695446)