Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM)
For the rights of man and nature
Alyansa Tigil Mina (Alliance Against Mining or ATM) is a Philippine movement of NGOs and social organizations that stands up for the rights of local communities and nature. Through campaigns and lobbying, they highlight the long-term effects of the mining sector. What the latter see as a driver for development, ATM exposes as a source of conflict.
Mining is not synonymous with economic development
ATM is a national organisation and its lobbying work relies on the actions of 25 'Sites of Struggle', these are the 25 communities that oppose large-scale mining projects. These projects affect their environment, set them against each other and undermine their livelihoods. ATM responds to the specific needs of these action groups with legal assistance, training, fact-finding missions, political contacts, media actions and more. Together with other environmental and human rights organisations, ATM wants to convince policymakers that only a rational approach to mining has a future in the sustainable development of the country.
That is why ATM drew up an alternative mining law. It not only protects the environment, but also the rights of local communities. A nice bonus: the law allows the revenues from mining to flow back to the local population to a greater extent.
8 million signatures
One of ATM's most successful campaigns was collecting 8 million signatures for a petition calling on the government to better protect valuable environmental areas from mining. These include tropical forests and small islands with rich biodiversity that qualify as 'no-go zones' for mining or other drastic activities.
For years, there was a ban on open-pit mining for new projects. In practice, this meant that hardly any new projects were approved. At the end of his term, President Duterte lifted this ban. This is a slap in the face for organizations such as ATM, but they continue to fight for rational management of natural resources.
