Handing a key victory to environmentalists, Colombia’s Constitutional Court has ruled to prohibit mining and oil activity in páramos, the fragile, high-altitude grasslands that are critical to water supplies and biodiversity. The court, the nation’s highest, voided an article of the 2014-18 National Development Plan, rendering illegal and ordering the removal of hundreds of gold mining and other mineral projects that cover more than 124,000 hectares (306,410 acres). The court, which has ruled to protect páramos in the past, emphasized the national importance of the ecosystem, which occupies just 1.7% of Colombia’s territory but provides 70% of its fresh water. “This decision marks a milestone for Colombia and the Andean region as a whole, as many rivers throughout the Andes are fed by Colombia’s... [Log in to read more]