Colombia

In the Paramo de Pisba highlands in the Department of Boyaca, Colombia, most people work in either agriculture, animal husbandry or traditional mining. But as mining activities continue to expand into agricultural land, more and more people are being forced to move higher in the mountains to cultivate the protected land in the paramos.

An economy based mainly on mining can be extremely damaging to the life of a community. When mining is the main industry, the environment is destroyed and traditional farming – usually the domain of women – disappears, leaving women without employment opportunities.