The background is said to be the so-called Per Geijer deposit in Kiruna, an ore body with large amounts of rare earth metals. Mining there would divide Gabna's land in two and make traditional reindeer herding impossible, according to the Sami village.
"Looking ahead, we see no possible future with the Per Geijer mine. We say a flat no to it," says Gabna Sameby chairman Lars-Marcus Kuhmunen in the press release.
LKAB welcomes the termination of the agreement. In a press release, the mining company emphasizes that both the business and the external environment have changed since 2013, when the agreement was signed.
"It is also our assessment that we need to renew the agreement to create better collaboration going forward," says Pia Lindström, Director of Environment and Sustainability at LKAB, in the press release.
