The future of Ecuador’s irreplaceable Intag Valley, as well as the local communities who depend on the healthy cloud forest ecosystem and the incredible biodiversity the region harbors, is at stake early next week in a municipal rights of nature case, which will determine whether a mining project can continue its large-scale open-pit copper mining operations here. Conservationists argue that the Environmental Impact Assessment published by the project between Ecuador’s state-owned Enami and Chilean mining company Codelco failed to include mention of the incredible wildlife in the area. This includes the Longnose #HarlequinToad, which was rediscovered in 2016 and doesn’t live anywhere else in the world. Local communities, some of which have been fighting against mining for nearly three decades, say the project’s leads failed to consult them about impacts on their communities, including the accessibility of clean water and their livelihoods. Intag Valley is a paradise for wildlife, hom...