Solaris Resources has signed an Impacts and Benefits Agreement (IBA) with the Shuar communities of Warints and Yawi, its indigenous partners, for the Warintza project in south-east Ecuador. According to Solaris, the agreement represents “industry best practice and a new first for Ecuador.”
The IBA includes commitments to support the partner communities in their social and cultural practices, eliminating or mitigating adverse impacts and employment and business opportunities.
In addition, an education and skills training program, infrastructure development for the community and financial benefits within the agreement are intended to maximize participation and secure positive outcomes for the indigenous partners.
In the press release, Daniel Earle, the company’s president and CEO, noted that the IBA is built on the relationships established through a prior community consultation and memorandum of understanding, with “reciprocal commitments toward the advancement of the project in an environmentally and socially responsible fashion.”
In August, Solaris released the first intercept from a 40,000-metre drill program at the 268-sq.-km project, which includes 567 metres of 1% copper-equivalent.
(This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal)