Give Barcelona's grid Unesco status, say fans of planning pioneer
Its creator, Ildefons Cerdà, who coined the term 'urbanisation', was panned by his rivals for producing 'one of the biggest horrors of the world' and for transforming spaces 'into the monotony of an American city'.
However, the 'Cerdà plan', which rescued Barcelona's medieval city centre from collapse, has stood the test of time. A group of architects, town planners and engineers have proposed that Unesco declare Eixample a protected world heritage site, bestowing a fitting status to a district that is home to architectural landmarks such as the Sagrada Familia.
The promoters of the initiative argued that
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Tapirs, hummingbirds and a billion-dollar bedrock of gold: the Ecuador reserve that is now a battlefield over a new mine
Golden grasses, mossy hummocks and scattered lakes unfurl across the highlands of Macizo del Cajas, Azuay province. The vastness of this high-altitude Ecuadorian moorland combines with its near-silence to create an empty, alien atmosphere. But this unique landscape teems with life. The páramo – a high-altitude tropical ecosystem that stretches across the northern Andes – is a living sponge, quietly drawing moisture from the clouds that drift at more than 3,000 metres (9,800ft) above sea level. Endangered mountain tapirs and endemic hummingbirds hide among the twisted, copper-barked Polylepis trees. Beneath the ground, ancient tectonic shifts and glaciers have cracked the bedrock, channelling water through veins that feed six large rivers, supplying mountain communities, cities and fragile ecosystems – including the Ecuadorian Amazon. That bedrock, however, also holds billions of dollars in gold, silver and copper. For more than three decades, these deposits have made the Cajas a battlefield between Ecuadorians who see large-scale mining as the answer to the country's economic woes and those who see it as an existential threat. Unesco designated the Cajas a biosphere reserve in 2013, but the title offers scant protection. Mining companies now hold more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) of concessions in the Cajas, with more than 15,000 of those hectares in the páramo. Authorities say that the government has given the most important segments of ecosystems protected or national park status. But scientists argue that the zoning is arbitrary. 'What areas are 'protected' is a political decision, not a technical one,' says Juan Carlos Sánchez-Nivicela, a herpetologist and conservation biologist who has been studying Ecuador's high-altitude ecosystems for more than a decade. 'You can't separate these areas. Any damage done to one directly affects the other.' So far, large-scale mining activity in the páramos has been limited to exploration – in part, thanks to local resistance, inside and outside the courtroom. But now, new battle lines are being drawn in the Cajas. On 23 June, the Canadian mining multinational Dundee Precious Metals was granted its environmental licence for exploitation of the Loma Larga project, which sits on the Quimsacocha páramo and surrounds the protected area. 'The company has satisfactorily fulfilled all requirements and prerequisites necessary … which is very difficult and time consuming in my country,' says Patricio Vargas Coronel, president of Cuenca's Chamber of Mining. 'It can now sign the mining contract and begin construction, generating about 1,200 jobs and an investment of $450m (£337m).' Dundee's president and CEO, David Rae, touts the achievement as 'an important milestone for Loma Larga – an attractive future growth opportunity for [Dundee] with significant potential to deliver strong returns for our investors and stakeholders'. Activists and ecologists, however, allege that the mine could cause enormous environmental damage, that the government has failed to properly consult local communities, and that they are subject to intimidation and surveillance for protesting against the mine. Dundee rejects the claims. 'We are being followed,' says Esther Remache, an anti-mining activist, pointing out the white pickup truck trailing behind. 'Oh, they're just looking after us,' replies Federico Guzmán, councillor for Cuenca and another longtime activist, with a wink. The road to Loma Larga is public, and cuts through the Quimsacocha recreation area. Yet, it's lined with private security personnel who peer out from booths guarding the offices and buildings of Dundee Precious Metals. As Guzman parks his vehicle, the pickup behind also stops and a guard exits, using his phone to film the group of activists, almost all of whom are over 60. 'They always follow us when we go up here,' says Remache, who believes this is an intimidation technique. 'They'll openly photograph us … you have to wonder, what are those photos for?' In a letter to the Guardian, Dundee representatives denied these allegations, noting that all Loma Larga security personnel 'have undergone human rights training and behave with full respect'. They said that the project's fence had been frequently vandalised, and guards took action to prevent trespassing, but that Dundee 'regularly welcomes visitors to the project area'. Quimsacocha, a páramo at an altitude between 3,600m and 3,900m, is a vital water source and biodiversity refuge. It's here that Sánchez-Nivicela says he rediscovered a tiny frog thought to be extinct. 'There's something like 20-plus amphibian species in the Cajas: 80 to 90% of these are endemic – but we keep finding more each year,' he says. Scientists warn that mining in Cajas could irreversibly destroy fragile ecosystems and poison the water supply that hundreds of thousands of people depend on. 'Protection is not just a matter of the environment,' says Sandra Barros, a municipal hydrology engineer who evaluated the risks of the Loma Larga project. 'It is a matter of survival.' Several past referendums held in affected communities had rejected mining in local watersheds. In 2023, a provincial court upheld the decision to suspend the Loma Larga project, but also opened the door for Dundee to revive its project if new environmental studies and local consultations showed support. In April, Daniel Noboa, the country's recently re-elected president, extended the Loma Larga concession for another 25 years. In 2024, he attended the world's largest mining conference in Canada to reassure investors that a new era of Ecuadorian mining was dawning. Current gold prices value Loma Larga's estimated deposits at more than $6bn. Ecuador's government also stands to make hundreds of millions from the project. On 23 June, the country's environmental ministry quietly approved the project's environmental licence – the final hurdle for Dundee to begin exploitation. Dundee's environmental impact assessment (EIA) for Loma Larga claimed mining posed only a 'mild risk' to the ecosystem. However, a study by the municipal water and sanitation company (ETAPA) claimed there were dozens of errors and omissions in that assessment. It concluded mining risked serious, potentially irreversible damage to nature, water resources, and public health in the Quimsacocha region. Other studies corroborate the ETAPA's findings. 'Do you think contamination would stop at some arbitrary red line just because [the mining company] says that's where their impact stops? Of course not. Any contamination will end up in the rivers downstream,' says Barros, the ETAPA study's main author. Dundee, however, called the ETAPAreport 'misinformation' and says that it is 'designing and advancing Loma Larga in line with the highest standards for environmental and water management', pointing to the positive results of its EIA, the evaluation and approval of which 'is the sole responsibility of the ministry for the environment, not ETAPA'. The environment ministry did not respond to the Guardian's requests for comment, and on July 24, Noboa eliminated the environment ministry entirely, transferring its responsibilities to fall under the ministry for mining. Ecuador's constitution requires the government to consult local and Indigenous communities before allowing any mining project to begin. Under Noboa, however, allegations of irregularities in this process have become so widespread that UN human rights officials issued a formal warning last year, saying Indigenous groups and local communities were being excluded from consultations, not offered complete information, and arrested for protest or criticism of projects. 'We are concerned that the failure to convene all potentially affected people, together with the lack of full and impartial information regarding the potential negative consequences of these projects have exacerbated social conflict,' the UN experts say. In other parts of Ecuador, the government has responded to protests with force. When communities protested against Canadian mining in Ecuador's north-western cloud forest last year, Noboa sent in the military. Security forces injured at least 36 people, and more than 100 were charged with terrorism or organised crime offences. In May, the ministry of energy and mines (MEM) said authorities had finished consulting local communities on Loma Larga, and reported that they had agreed to let the project proceed to exploitation. Communities had 'access to ample, timely and adequate information' on the vote, MEM said. But community members and activists had a starkly different view of the consultation: of eight interviewed, not one said they knew that it had taken place. They recalled a day in January, when the environment ministry sent 200 police and troops to 'oversee' a vote on the mine outside town. Instead, one said, authorities were forced to cancel the vote. 'People saw the soldiers, the militarised area, the tents and they showed up to protest,' says Nataly Torres, a sociologist and member of the community. In its report, MEM characterises the protest as 'violent incidents … restricting the right of other members of the community to be consulted'. Dundee says it cooperated with all of Ecuador's 'strict and well-defined regulations'. In a statement, the ministry said that communities had been consulted in accordance with the law. The fear of state violence now hangs over environmental defenders in the Cajas region as well, activists say. 'Now, they have bigger, deadlier arms, and they use them to intimidate us,' Remache says. And the stakes are high for biodiversity, water and communities. 'Any disturbance, any change in land use, any extractive activity [in the Cajas] will directly affect species that have nowhere else to go,' Sánchez says. 'We'll lose not only unique species but also the water supplying entire communities,' he adds. And the outcome here may set a precedent for the rest of Ecuador. 'This is the mother of all battles,' says Carlos Castro, a legal professor and opponent of mining in the region. 'If we lose here, the rest will fall like dominoes.' Find more age of extinction coverage here, and follow the biodiversity reporters Phoebe Weston and Patrick Greenfield in the Guardian app for more nature coverage
Metro
21 hours ago
- Metro
Rat the size of a dog found as monster vermin run riot in Yorkshire village
A pest controller was horrified to find a 22-inch sewer rat nesting in a country home in a Yorkshire village. The potentially record-breaking rodent is the same size as a typical American badger with witnesses saying it was more similar to a small dog. Images of the massive rat – discovered recently in a family home in Normanby in Redcar and Cleveland – quickly went viral. Two of the borough's Conservative councillors called for action to be taken to contain the area's 'overflowing' rodent population. David Taylor and Stephen Martin, both Tory councillors, criticised the Labour-run Redcar and Cleveland Council and called for a full vermin study to be carried out. In aFacebook post, Mr Taylor described public bins in parts of the Eston and Whale Hill area as 'overflowing' with rats. He wrote: 'It's almost the size of a small cat. And it's not a one-off. 'The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. We need action — not just advice.' The rodent has been likened to a 'sewer rat', and while it is unknown how it accessed the property, rats had been reported in the nearby area. Overgrown vegetation on public land can also provide the animals with shelter, they added. Mr Taylor said: 'The longer this is ignored, the worse it will get. It is a growing problem.' He said the rat caught was 'massive', and compared it to a small cat or dog. Pest controllers told him that only a typical sewer rat could get that big. He said a rat cull would 'cost a fortune', but the population was a health risk as rats can carry diseases. 'They'll keep multiplying and unless there is a big cull in the area, people will keep experiencing this,' he said. A spokeswoman for the council said: 'The council has a dedicated pest control officer who manages pest issues on council-owned land. 'While we no longer provide a wider pest control service, we do offer advice to residents where possible. 'The council continues to work with Beyond Housing, Northumbrian Water and other partners to address complex issues and explore potential solutions. 'There is also helpful guidance and preventative measures on our website to support people in dealing with pests.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Tribal circumcisions by unskilled 'surgeons' leave 39 dead and dozens mutilated MORE: Urgent hunt for naked man prowling in front of homes in a gimp mask MORE: Fourth person found dead below Whitby Abbey cliff in just four days
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Ex-fighter pilot and son, 13, feared dead after plane crashed off Majorca
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN EX-military fighter pilot and his teen son are feared dead after their plane crashed into the sea off Majorca. Specialist divers are searching for the occupants after locating the wreckage of a two-seat sport plane was found near the tourist hotspot. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Specialist divers are searching for the occupants Credit: Solarpix 5 The plane is understood to be a Team Rocket F-4 Raider Credit: Solarpix 5 An ex-military fighter pilot and his teen son are feared dead Credit: SOLARPIX 5 A helicopter searches for survivors Credit: Solarpix The plane, a Team Rocket F-4 Raider, was seen crashing into the sea near Soller just after 8pm yesterday. It had reportedly been seen doing air acrobatics including 'daring but legal' 360-Degree turns. One of the occupants is said to be a former American military combat pilot aged around 60 who lives in Germany. He has a holiday home in Majorca, and is understood to currently work as a commercial pilot. Majorcan newspaper Ultima Hora reports that the second person feared dead in the crash was the pilot's 13-year-old son. Spanish police have not yet commented on the identities of the occupants of the plane. A Civil Guard spokesperson said early this morning: "The search for two occupants is continuing this morning following the plane accident yesterday evening. "The accident happened around 8pm opposite the Soller lighthouse and in waters about 30 metres deep. "Specialists from the Civil Guard's elite GEA diving unit, the Maritime Service and the Air Service are still conducting a search." In an initial statement late yesterday the force said: "The two-seater plane had left Binissalem Aerodrome around 6pm yesterday and the accident happened around 100 metres from the coast opposite the lighthouse in Soller Port. "The remains of the plane have been located but we still have no information about the number of people inside. "We have spoken to an eye-witness on a boat who saw the accident." 5 One of the occupants is said to be a former American military combat pilot Credit: Solarpix More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos. Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
