In brief
On November 1, 2026, environmental groups and local communities marched in Santiago and other Chilean cities to oppose the proposed Dominga mining and port project led by Andes Iron. Protesters cited the risk of devastating the Humboldt Archipelago and threatening the endangered Humboldt penguin, and they sent an open letter to President Jose Antonio Kast calling for a transparent evaluation and dialogue. The plan, which has been rejected three times for environmental shortcomings, would involve iron and copper extraction, a mega‑port, and pipelines in the Coquimbo region.
Environmental groups and local communities marked November 1, 2026, with marches across Santiago and other Chilean cities to protest the Dominga mining and port proposal developed by Andes Iron.
According to Prensa Latina, demonstrators warned that the project would devastate the Humboldt Archipelago and threaten the endangered Humboldt penguin that lives there.
Members of the Chango indigenous community, artisanal fisherfolk, tourism operators and other social organisations from La Higuera joined in the protest and sent an open letter to President Jose Antonio Kast that urgently asked for a transparent evaluation of the initiative and a dialogue on the impact on the region.
The letter, written by representatives of the communities and several environmental advocacy organisations, called for the project to be reviewed openly, respecting all pending environmental, administrative and judicial proceedings, and invited the president to witness the alternative productive activities already flourishing in the area.
Prensa Latina reports that the Andes Iron proposal has already been rejected three times because of environmental shortcomings, yet the company still plans to extract iron and copper while building a mega‑port and underground pipelines in La Higuera, in the Coquimbo region where about 80 percent of the Humboldt penguin population resides.
These protests underscore growing pressure on Chile's government to balance resource extraction with conservation and local livelihoods.
