Ecuador to reopen mining register for first time in over six years

Ecuador’s mining sector is following closely President Daniel Noboa’s recent decision to reopen and update the country’s mining cadaster within six months.

The executive decree, signed last week, mandates the inclusion in the country’s official registry of all records on mining rights, licences, exploration and exploitation permits, as well as other related authorizations — whether granted, revoked, or cancelled.

Noboa’s initiative seeks to combat illegal gold mining, a persistent issue in the Andean country. It is also expected to streamline current processes as ministries must meet the new six-month deadline. 

It also provides some authorities, notably the ministries of environment, energy and mines, the authority to identify illegal mining activities throughout the national territory. It also gives them the power to call on the national police and armed forces if necessary.

The decree defines as illegal any activity carried out by natural or legal persons, national or foreign, without titles, authorizations, permits or licences.

The last time Ecuador updated its mining cadaster was in 2018.

Illegal mining has spread across 19 of the country’s 24 provinces, with hotspots in Esmeraldas, Imbabura, and Azuay. Protected areas are also impacted. 

Recent reports by international organizations, including the U.S. Department against Transnational Organized Crime (DTOC), have unveiled corruption and irregularities in Ecuador’s mining sector. One particular journalistic investigation by Mongabay, revealed that 652 mining concessions had been issued without companies following established procedures. It also shows a surge in unauthorized gold processing plants and violence.

“Criminal organizations are reinvesting drug trafficking profits into this lucrative [illegal gold] trade, fuelling a violent struggle for territorial control,” Sofía Jarrín said in a report on gold gangs published in September. 

“This dynamic not only escalates violence, extortion, recruitment, and contract killings but also enables the expansion of other illicit markets, such as the smuggling of mercury, weapons and drugs, further empowering the criminal groups guarding the mining enclaves,” Jarrín, who is one of the report’s authors, wrote.

With elections approaching in February 2025, Noboa hopes to position Ecuador as a safer and more regulated mining jurisdiction.

The 36-year-old son of Ecuador’s richest man was elected in 2023 to serve a shortened 18-month term after his predecessor, Guillermo Lasso, called early elections to escape impeachment.