Transcript Los Conflictos Socioambientales una oportunidad para la

Community involvement and
dialogue processes in
environmental justice in Peru
Doris Balvín
Asociación Civil Labor
January 2007
Mining in Peru
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Represent currently more than 50% of
the Peruvian national income.
The high growth of the sector during
1990 was promoted by an aggressive
policy in which environmental and
social issues were less important.
Environmental Impacts of mining
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Changes on the natural regime of the water
resources.
Negative impact on the quantity and
quality of water.
Air pollution
Negative impact on ecosystems.
Previous approaches to mining gave rise
to substantial environmental legacy
La Oroya old mining industrial
complex
The negative impacts of huge mining operations
are more extensive in water, air and forest
For example:
Yanacocha
Mine impacts
4 water
catchments
because it is
located on the
continental
divide.
Soil removal can adversely affect the
surface and subsurface water for
community uses
Deterioration of the
quality of water by
acidic drainage.
Community involvement and
environmental justice in Peru
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Expectations on development with different
perspectives.
Competing interests opposed for the use of
water.
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Different conceptions and cultural values.
Existing legal rights on the use of water and
land use by mines and communities
Inadequate institutional framework.
Community Rights and Environmental Justice
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Access to the use of natural resources water, air, forest:
 Diminution of the access to environmental quality.
 Air and water contamination impacts on health.
Cultural:
 The displacement of communities and changes on
their traditional life.
Economics:
 Lost of the traditional economic activities and
emergence of others in which new stakeholders will
appear and displace the others.
Tambogrande conflict 2001
Cerro Quilish Conflict 2004
La Oroya conflict 1915-2007
Southern Peru Conflict 1960 - 2007
Social and environmental conflicts
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Mining has a multiple impact on the way of living
of communities
It has to do with the debate of models of
development.
Who receive the impacts of the deterioration and
reduction of the environment?
It has to do with the debate on the rights of the
different stakeholders in the areas where mining
takes place.
Mining Dialogue Group
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It was created as an initiative to reduce the
confrontation between stakeholders involved in
mining and community issues.
Its major commitment is to build bridges between
the different stakeholders creating a dialogue
culture
This dialogue space started in 2001.
Includes stakeholders that normally are not
working together (community based
organizations, NGOs, enterprises, international
cooperation, consultants, government people,
universities).
Key policy recommendations
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To establish an Independent Environmental
Authority with strong enforcement powers.
To strengthen the environmental institutions by
improving the management tools for sustainable
development and specially in environmental health.
To prevent and remediate the mining pollution
legacy that has high impact on environment by
allocating economical resources and technology.
To promote corporate social responsibility in
mining companies by disseminating the best
standards.
Rights, culture and conflicts
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To recognize that water implies management
of conflicts: the government must create
institutional channels for conflict resolution
and dialogue with civil society.
To recognize and to protect the uses and
ancestral customs of water management.
To respect the different cosmovisions around
the use and management of the water.
Conclusions
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No more freedom in lifestyle: mining comes with
“development” for the country not necessarily for the
poor.
Mining investment will not solve poverty problems if
environmental issues are not taken into account
specially health.
Access to justice is not equal. Communities affected
by mining are requested to prove the impacts on their
health.
Measurements are important but also Health
Department must have an Environmental Heath
Program.
Gracias
More information in: www.labor.org.pe