On Thursday, Prime Minister Anibal Torres traveled to the Andean region of Apurimac, but he arrived late and then abruptly left the meeting only an hour after it had started.

"Companies that get it right will inherit the industry. Companies that don’t, will die.”

If the forecast proves correct, Colombia's income from mining would jump 69% this year from the previous 2021 record.

Chile, the world's largest producer of lithium, has profited from the rising global demand for electric vehicles.

Flamingo numbers are falling, with a new study linking this to the water extracted by mining firms to pump up brine filled with lithium.

Last year, environmentalists and surrounding communities appealed a ruling from a lower court that tossed out a decision by a regulator that denied the company permits.