Rural Community Pushes Back Against Lithium Mining in Northern Portugal

Paulo Pires, a 50-year-old shepherd, enjoys spending his time in the meadows around Covas do Barroso in northern Portugal. Accompanied by his nine-year-old son Gonçalo, Pires tends to his flock of 190 sheep while enjoying the serene landscape of pastures, forests, and the sparsely populated hills. However, this tranquil way of life is under threat, as the international mining company Savannah Resources plans to exploit the area's lithium deposits—considered the largest in Europe.

Lithium, often referred to as “white gold,” is a critical component in battery production and is in high demand as the world transitions from combustion engines to electric vehicles. Savannah Resources plans to mine lithium around Covas do Barroso and neighboring Montalegre, extracting millions of tons of lithium-bearing rock to produce batteries for half a million cars annually. This mining project is seen as a strategic initiative to support a climate-neutral future and reduce Europe's dependence on imported lithium, but the residents of Covas do Barroso see it differently.

For Pires and others in the village, the proposed mining project threatens their traditional way of life. The landscape they cherish could soon be replaced by large-scale mining operations, leaving behind a dozen 150-meter-deep pits, air pollution, noise, and contaminated rivers. “They call what they want to do here strategically important for the future. But what kind of future is this, where they are destroying everything?” Pires asks.

The people of Covas do Barroso hoped for protection from authorities on environmental grounds. However, an environmental report in May 2023 ruled in favor of mining, citing mitigation measures such as water treatment and reforestation of the mining pits. For Savannah Resources, this was an important step forward, but for the local community, it was a catastrophe. Pires believes that simply replacing fossil fuels with electric vehicles is not a solution. He advocates for a “transport revolution,” focusing on expanding public transport and reducing overconsumption, rather than replacing one resource-intensive system with another.

The village of Covas do Barroso, recognized as a World Heritage Site for Agriculture by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) since 2018, has been inhabited for thousands of years. The community’s way of life, characterized by agriculture, forestry, and pastoralism, is seen as essential for preserving the area's unique landscape. The communal lands, or baldios, make up almost two-thirds of the total land and are managed by the residents themselves, ensuring a balance between agriculture and grazing.

Leading the local resistance is Aida Fernandes, president of the villagers' assembly overseeing the communal lands. Fernandes, a lifelong farmer, has been vocal in her opposition to the lithium mining plans since 2017, when locals first became aware of unusual activity in the area. The local initiative has since networked with other anti-mining groups across Portugal and Spain, holding protests and blocking mining activities to protect their land. “If we have to save the world with lithium mining at all costs, why don't they dig in France or Germany? Why always in the poor south?” Fernandes asks, questioning the fairness of the burden placed on rural communities.

For many in Covas do Barroso, their livelihoods depend on the land, and the promise of jobs from the mining project is not enough to justify the destruction it would bring. Residents like Maria Loureiro, who owns land where the mining is planned, refuse to sell. She fears that even if mining companies reforest the land after extraction, it will never be the same again. The community is also concerned that increased pollution and infrastructure changes will disrupt the growing number of tourists visiting the region, which has brought new opportunities and investments.

Despite their efforts to stop the mining project, the people of Covas do Barroso continue to face uncertainty. The new Portuguese government has yet to clarify its position, and although local residents, including the mayor, have taken legal action and protested, the mining company's plans remain. “What remains is frustration,” says Lucia Mo, head of the village. “But I still have a little hope that the whole thing can still be averted somehow—even if that seems increasingly unlikely.”