Investor claim over Colombia's Santurbán mining ban yields no compensation
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
Colombia banned mining in the Santurbán páramo, a high mountain wetland that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people. In July 2024 a tribunal found Colombia responsible for delays in applying the ban but awarded the investor nothing.
- Eco Oro — Claimed 690 million to 1.1 billion dollars; the tribunal awarded no compensation Vanguardia
What happened
Vanguardia reported that Colombia banned mining in the Santurbán páramo, a high mountain wetland that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people.
The tribunal in the Eco Oro case found the ban legitimate in 2021, but on 15 July 2024 held Colombia responsible for delays in applying it and awarded no compensation, because the company had not proven its losses.
Eco Oro had claimed 690 million dollars, or 1.1 billion dollars with interest, Vanguardia reported.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: in August 2026 the environment ministry revoked a previous government resolution that closed about 1,500 hectares of the Santurbán complex to mining.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: Aris Mining holds a mining licence in the area covered by that revocation.
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: the Constitutional Court's 2016 ruling (C-035) banned mining in páramos.
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: whether the August 2026 revocation has been challenged.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Vanguardia report on the Eco Oro claim over the Santurbán mining banVanguardia · 2024-07-16
Connected cases
- Tribunal awards Eco Oro nothing over Colombia's Santurbán mining ban Colombia · 2024
- Eco Oro (Company) — here: Investor claimant over the Santurbán mining ban; there: claimant
- Government of Colombia (Government) — here: Respondent state; banned mining in the páramo; there: respondent; imposed the mining ban
- Colombia's Operation Artemisa: 113 arrests and 13 convictions Colombia · 2017–2022
- Government of Colombia (Government) — here: Respondent state; banned mining in the páramo; there: Launched Operation Artemisa