The air is fresh here, and the landscape is green, dotted with small farms, stone cottages, and terraces overflowing with each seasons bounty… In 2021, unknown to the community of Covas or the people of Portugal, the Portuguese government began to strategically market one of the world’s most converted natural resources: Lithium. The lithium in question lies deep in the “Globally important” pastoral system in the green mountains of the Barroso.

A photo journalism story I worked on in collaboration with Laura Moreno for THE ICARUS COMPLEX MAGAZINE. The article explores the story of a rural village in the Northeast of Portugal, Covas do Barroso, that faces an open pit lithium mine with all its consequences for nature and the community. I really wanted to capture the beauty, biodiversity and atmosphere of the place, especially in the context of the destruction it would mean for the whole region.