IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jlands/v11y2022i2p221-d740495.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gold Mining in the Amazon Region of Ecuador: History and a Review of Its Socio-Environmental Impacts

Author

Listed:
  • Carlos Mestanza-Ramón

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy
    Research Group YASUNI-SDC, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Sede Orellana, El Coca 20001, Ecuador)

  • Jefferson Cuenca-Cumbicus

    (Green Amazon, Research Center, Nueva Loja 210150, Ecuador)

  • Giovanni D’Orio

    (Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance, University of Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Italy)

  • Jeniffer Flores-Toala

    (Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Sede Orellana, El Coca 220001, Ecuador)

  • Susana Segovia-Cáceres

    (Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Sede Morona Santiago, M. Santiago 140105, Ecuador)

  • Amanda Bonilla-Bonilla

    (Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Sede Orellana, El Coca 220001, Ecuador)

  • Salvatore Straface

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

Abstract

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) and large-scale mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon region is potentially harmful to nature, and its impacts are associated with environmental degradation and deterioration of people’s health. So far, limited efforts have been directed at exploring the current situation and challenges facing the implementation of environmental policies in the country. The objective of this study focused on analyzing the historical and current situation and challenges of ASGM in the Amazon region of Ecuador in relation to a political perspective (laws), socioeconomic impacts (population displacement, loss of livelihoods, migration of people, cost of living, water scarcity, and health impacts), and environmental impacts (biotic and abiotic). The methodology used was based on a literature review and interviews, and information that was discussed through an expert judgment allowed for establishing challenges to improve ASGM management. The main results indicate that lack of community participation in decision-making, insufficient coordination between government institutions, communities, and miners, and lack of control of mining activities are factors that contribute to ineffective compliance with environmental policies in the gold mining sector in the Amazon. Finally, the study concludes by considering the socioeconomic and environmental scopes within its findings for implementing effective environmental and social policies in the Amazon region of Ecuador.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & Jefferson Cuenca-Cumbicus & Giovanni D’Orio & Jeniffer Flores-Toala & Susana Segovia-Cáceres & Amanda Bonilla-Bonilla & Salvatore Straface, 2022. "Gold Mining in the Amazon Region of Ecuador: History and a Review of Its Socio-Environmental Impacts," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-22, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:2:p:221-:d:740495
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/2/221/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/2/221/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Linda Etchart, 2022. "Indigenous Peoples and International Law in the Ecuadorian Amazon," Laws, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Lucía Toledo & Gloria Salmoral & Oswaldo Viteri-Salazar, 2023. "Rethinking Agricultural Policy in Ecuador (1960–2020): Analysis Based on the Water–Energy–Food Security Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, August.
    3. Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & Demmy Mora-Silva & Giovanni D’Orio & Enrique Tapia-Segarra & Isabel Dominguez Gaibor & José Fernando Esparza Parra & Carlos Renato Chávez Velásquez & Salvatore Straface, 2022. "Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM): Management and Socioenvironmental Impacts in the Northern Amazon of Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, June.
    4. Cheng, Hui-Ching & Shu, Ming-Hung & Huang, Jui-Chan, 2024. "Economic strategies for efficient use of natural resources: The impact of carbon taxation and fiscal policy," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    5. Badakhshan, Naser & Shahriar, Kourosh & Afraei, Sajjad & Bakhtavar, Ezzeddin, 2023. "Determining the environmental costs of mining projects: A comprehensive quantitative assessment," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    6. Feng, Chen-Yu & Yang, Xiaodong & Afshan, Sahar & Irfan, Muhamamd, 2023. "Can renewable energy technology innovation promote mineral resources’ green utilization efficiency? Novel insights from regional development inequality," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    7. Satomi Kimijima & Masayuki Sakakibara & Masahiko Nagai, 2022. "Investigation of Long-Term Roving Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Activities Using Time-Series Sentinel-1 and Global Surface Water Datasets," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-13, May.
    8. Zhou, Yongbin & Liu, Yiying & Niu, Juanjuan, 2024. "Role of mineral-based industrialization in promoting economic growth: Implications for achieving environmental sustainability and social equity," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:2:p:221-:d:740495. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.