Mendoza Rejects Three Exploration Projects in Malargüe Due to Environmental Incompatibility with Glaciers and Wetlands
The Mining Environmental Authority (AAM) of Mendoza rejected three Environmental Impact Reports corresponding to exploration projects included in the evaluation of the Malargüe Western Mining District III (MDMO III). The dismissed projects are Pinot IX, Las Damas, and 06123520-2020, whose initiatives did not meet the technical and environmental requirements necessary to advance to subsequent evaluation stages. The resolution was communicated on September 28, 2026 through Mendoza Government Press.
The decision was based on the Technical Opinion of the Faculty of Applied Sciences to Industry (FCAI), which identified critical environmental conditions in the evaluated polygons. The AAM, composed of the Mining Directorate and the Environmental Management and Oversight Directorate of the Ministry of Energy and Environment, determined that each project requires individual evaluation according to its particular characteristics, location, and sensitivity of the area where mining activity is proposed.
Pinot IX: Glaciers and Permafrost as Limiting Factors
In the case of Pinot IX, the FCAI technical analysis identified the proximity of numerous inventoried glacier bodies, located less than one kilometer from the limits of the proposed polygon. The opinion noted that virtually the entire area presents a probability of permafrost presence, characterizing it as a sector of elevated geomorphological and hydrological sensitivity.
According to Jerónimo Shantal, Mining Director, “the technical body recommended non-approval and rejection of the Environmental Impact Report, considering the project environmentally unviable in the polygon submitted for evaluation”. The AAM, following those technical conclusions and reviewing all procedural background, determined that the requirements necessary for project approval were not met.
Las Damas: Incompatibility with Periglacial Environments
The Las Damas project was rejected because the documentation did not adequately address the possible interaction of the activity with the glacial and periglacial environments in the area. The FCAI warned that tasks planned during exploration—such as road openings, soil movement, construction of drilling platforms, and heavy machinery transit—could generate alterations to numerous inventoried glaciers located less than one kilometer from the north, east, and south limits of the polygon.
Leonardo Fernández, Director of Environmental Management and Oversight, expanded the context noting that “each MDMO III project has its own evaluation as current laws establish, according to its characteristics, location, and environmental conditions of the area where mining activity is proposed to be developed”. The FCAI concluded that the Environmental Impact Report did not meet the necessary conditions to advance, recommending definitive rejection within the analyzed area.
Project 06123520-2020: High-Altitude Wetlands and Protected Species
The third rejection corresponds to the project identified as 06123520-2020, where the FCAI warned of high ecological and hydrological sensitivity in the area, along with conservation-related aspects that characterize the surroundings for their ecosystem fragility. The analysis determined a probability of between 90% and 100% presence of high-altitude wetlands, environments that play a relevant role in regulating the hydrological cycle at basin headwaters and as biodiversity reservoirs.
A determining factor in the rejection was the presence of the Pehuenche Frog (Alsodes pehuenche), a species whose habitat is associated with springs and meadows existing in the project's altitudinal range. The FCAI warned that an alteration in water quality or quantity could seriously affect the conservation of this species. After analyzing the responses submitted by the proponent, the Faculty considered they did not allow reverting the territorial and environmental incompatibilities detected.
Regulatory Framework and Evaluation Continuity
The resolutions were issued in accordance with Provincial Law No. 5,961, Decree No. 820/06, the Mining Code, and applicable national environmental regulations. Within the environmental impact assessment procedure established by these norms, the Technical Opinion provides the specialized analysis that the AAM takes into account along with all other documentation and file background.
The AAM clarified that the rejections are limited exclusively to these three projects and the analyzed polygons, and that the measure does not interrupt the environmental evaluation of other proposals that form part of the MDMO III project package. The environmental evaluation procedure continues regarding the remaining projects that passed this phase. As a next step, the proceedings will be submitted to the competent sector agencies so they may conduct the corresponding analysis and issue the sectoral opinions provided for in the environmental procedure.