One of South America’s rarest wildcats faces a new threat as a Canadian mining company pushes forward with plans for a massive open-pit copper mine in Chile’s pristine Andes Mountains. The Vizcachitas project, owned by Los Andes Copper Ltd., would operate directly in the habitat of the endangered Andean cat—a species so rare that researchers have only recently documented its presence in the Valparaíso region.

The Andean cat, considered one of the most elusive felines in the Americas, depends on the untouched high-altitude ecosystem that the proposed mine would destroy. “This particular area has remained virtually untouched by human intervention for a long time,” explains Arón Cádiz-Véliz, a University of Concepción biologist studying the region. “It’s also home to a high diversity of flora and fauna, many of which are in danger of extinction.”

The mining project sits at the heart of a crucial watershed, where the Rocín River feeds vital Andean wetlands, lagoons, and river systems throughout the upper Putaendo River Basin. While Los Andes Copper promotes the project as essential for meeting global clean energy demands, local communities and conservationists are fighting back. The affected Putaendo community, alongside environmental organizations, is pushing to have the area designated as a protected zone before mining operations can begin.

Despite government and court approvals claiming the project is compatible with Andean cat conservation, scientists remain skeptical of the environmental assessments and continue raising concerns about the long-term survival of this irreplaceable ecosystem and its rare inhabitants.