Locals defy lithium mining plans on Mount Majevica

Residents of the town of Lopare, Bosnia and Herzegovina, have held a protest to voice their opposition to plans to grant a concession for opening a lithium mine on Mount Majevica.

The message from the protest is “No to lithium mining,” the Municipality of Lopare said in a statement.

At the invitation of environmentalists, citizens’ associations, and the municipal administration, the protest brought together a large number of residents and members of ecological associations from Lopare and neighboring towns and municipalities.

This was not the first protest against lithium mining in Lopare. A similar gathering was organized about a year ago.

Investors have shown interest in extracting lithium at several locations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including Bijeljina, Brčko, Lopare, Ugljevik, and Zvornik.

“The people are more important than the interests of multinational companies.”

Rado Savić, head of the Lopare municipality, said the gathering was organized to send a clear message against plans to grant a concession for extracting ore and opening a mine.

“We have sent an inquiry to the Government of the Republic of Srpska twice regarding the concession request, and we’ve received verbal confirmation that we will get an answer soon,” said Savić.

He added that a series of activities would be undertaken to convince the government that the lithium mining rights should not be granted.

“The people who live here are more important than the interests of multinational companies,” said Savić.

Snežana Jagodić Vujić, who leads the environmental association Eko-put, announced that a regional gathering against ore extraction on Mount Majevica and the wider region would be organized in Bijeljina at the end of March.

“We don’t want a mine on fertile, populated land.”

“This area should develop in a sustainable way, conserving our natural resources,” Jagodić Vujić stressed.

Andrijana Pekić, chairwoman of a citizens’ association dedicated to protecting Mount Majevica, said the purpose of the gathering was to send a loud and clear message that a lithium mine is not wanted on fertile, populated land.

Five reasons to oppose the mine

The Eko-put association from Bijeljina has asked the Ministry of Mining and Energy not to grant a concession for opening a lithium mine in Lopare, citing several key reasons:

1. The proximity to populated areas: the potential location of the mine is in the immediate vicinity of the town of Lopare, which has approximately 3,000 inhabitants.
2. Environmental risks: the Gnjica and Janja rivers, which belong to the Sava and Drina river basins, flow through the exploration area.
3. Hazardous extraction processes: the technology required for lithium extraction, especially the use of sulfuric acid, carries serious risks to public health, nature, and the environment
4. Incompatibility with the local community’s development goals: the municipality of Lopare is strategically oriented towards tourism and agriculture, and existing projects in these sectors conflict with the opening of a lithium mine.
5. Unprecedented in Europe: it is important to highlight that there is currently no active lithium mine, nor a lithium mine under construction, that is located near a populated area.