La colectividad como resistencia en la cuenca alta del río Chicamocha

The purpose of this paper is the systematization of collective experiences and the generation of reflections on the resistance of local communities to extractive projects in Boyaca. It draws on the successful collective experiences that have favored the defense and protection of water in the upper Chicamocha river basin from 2010 to 2018, mainly in the province of Sugamuxi, Colombia. An interdisciplinary work between the arts, anthropology, ecology, law, different bachelor’s degree and engineering programs, as well as local knowledge, guaranteed the review of environmental impact studies and management plans, the translation of technical jargon into everyday language, active participation in citizen participation mechanisms, and the support to communities affected by the seismic exploration work of two hydrocarbon projects near Lake Tota. The paper makes it possible to rethink the classic concepts of family, community and social movement from the collective action of protection and defense of water, led by the inhabitants of the Sugamuxiprovince, who studied the documents provided by the companies and evidenced the affectations and irregularities in public hearings and environmental monitoring processes. The activity enabled the recognition of a territory, the generation of own methodologies that linked alternative communication, political action and technical argumentation with incidence in the environmental licensing of two hydrocarbon projects in the upper basin of the Chicamocha river.