Permits have been issued that enable Barrick to start constructing a mine at 4,000 ft in the Andes at Pascua Lama, straddling Chilean-Argentine border.

The open-pit gold mine is still subject to two water-related approvals, but senior politicians on both sides of the border have made clear that they expect the project now to go ahead.

Activists claim that because the mine's various approvals have been obtained in piecemeal fashion, it has not been possible for the approval process to assess the environmental impact of the mine as a whole. The biggest concern appears to be about the impact on water quality.

On 14 May, around 100 activists campaigned outside the Ministry of Mines in the Chilean capital demanding a moratorium on further mining.