The environmentalist Pedro Landa, is part of the reflection, research and communication team, ERIC-SJ, social work of the Society of Jesus and represents Honduras in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. For more than 12 years, Pedro Landa has been supporting the struggles of communities in different regions of Honduras against the extraction and privatization of natural resources, the displacement of local and indigenous populations, the contamination of land and fresh water sources, and the criminalization of human rights and environmental defenders.
His work within the ERIC-SJ think tank, research and communication team has influenced the establishment of different movements fighting against mining and in this area their contribution has been impressive. They have implemented local, national and international control and decision-making strategies, they have carried out investigations into the environmental impacts and damages of mining operations, they have trained people to defend their environment and they have carried out legal actions so that victims of mining in the country have access to justice.
Pedro Landa and his organization achieved several victories, even if they were short-lived. An example was the moratorium decreed from August 2004 for the granting of new mining concessions which was maintained until January 2013 when a new Mining Law which favored mining companies was approved. Another example of success was the citizen mobilizations in Yoro department in 2015, which resulted in the declaration of a municipality free from mining by municipal authorities.
