In the Headlines
January 23, 2025

Colombia's Mining Sector Unsettled by More Potential New Regulations

BNamericas

Mining attorney Estefanny Pardo was quoted in a BNamericas article about two proposed regulations affecting Colombia's mining sector. The first, issued in December 2024, would create food production protection areas (APPAs) in 23 municipalities, and the second, issued a few weeks ago, would establish a special mining district in southern Córdoba.

APPAs aim to protect soil for food production by incorporating them into development and land use planning processes, but some local politicians have stated the initiative was designed to restrict gold, coal and limestone mining. Similarly, mining districts comprise areas where mining activity is regulated and organized, and according to Colombia's National Mining Agency (ANM), there are around 80 active mining projects in the proposed area targeted.

Ms. Pardo commented that together, these two measures will disincentivize new development and foreign investment, along with creating uncertainty throughout the industry.

"These regulations are creating concern and uncertainty. The latest investment surveys indicate that 80 percent of investors in the mining sector don't plan to increase their investments in Colombia, when in previous years the opposite was true," she said.

READ: Colombia's Mining Sector Unsettled by More Potential New Regulations (Subscription required)