Protests against gold mining in Cajamarca

On World Water Day, indigenous populations protest the Conga Gold Mine, a project proposed by Newmont Mining Co. that is feared to contaminate the water supply in Cajamarca, Peru. Photo taken 22 March 2012Cajamarca, Peru, is home to the Yanacocha gold and copper mine, one of the largest open pit mines in the world. In 2012, the mine's operator, US-based Newmont Mining Co. proposed expanding the mine by opening a new project called the Conga Mine. This proposal was met with intense resistance from the local and indigenous population, who felt more mining activity would further contaminate water supplies in the region. Photos taken in March 2012. (Photo by Diego Cupolo/NurPhoto via Getty Images)