Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso

Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UDCB) is a grassroots local association in Covas do Barroso, in Barroso, Trás-os-Montes, in northeastern Portugal. It was founded to protect the community from the threats posed by large-scale lithium mining projects. It stands up for the environment, local heritage and the well-being of residents, under the slogan “Não à Mina, Sim à Vida!” (No to the Mine, Yes to Life!). Covas do Barroso sits on one of Europe's largest lithium deposits. That has made it a flashpoint in the debate between industrial green-energy supply chains and the rights of local communities. UDCB argues that the cost of extracting the lithium is unacceptable: to the landscape, to the water sources, to the area's agricultural traditions and to its social fabric. The association monitors regulatory processes and responds to them. When environmental impact assessments are not properly respected, it issues public statements. It also denounces what it sees as political pressure to classify lithium projects as strategic national interests. For residents, UDCB is a place to organise, speak collectively and engage with legal, environmental and political processes. It works through communications, advocacy and civic mobilisation, and asserts the right of local people to determine their own future and protect their land. UDCB runs on principles of communitarianism, civic participation and collective self-determination. These are rooted in the traditional structures of community governance in Barroso, a region the FAO has recognised as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).