The boards of some of the world’s top mining companies are to be challenged this week by a group of investors with more than $10tn in assets under management, asking them to justify their “social license” to work with indigenous communities.

In a 28 October letter to companies including London-listed miners Barrick Gold, Anglo America and Glencore, investors have demanded answers on how the sector understands and manages the risk of working close to important cultural and heritage sites.