Muddy Decisions: Gold in the Chocó, Colombia

Tubb, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.exis.2015.08.008

Cited by 24 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…During an interview, an academic linked this violence to the economic interests behind the construction and control over two still‐unbuilt infrastructure projects: the Animas‐Nuquí road, proposed by the state in 1959 to connect the northern Pacific coast to the national highway system, and a multi‐purpose port, which has been discussed by development agencies since 1989. Furthermore, illegal small‐ and large‐scale gold‐mining has intensified in Chocó since the gold price increased in the 2000s (Tubb, ) . At least 46% of the alluvial gold exploitation in Chocó occurs within Afro‐descendants' collective territories (UNODC and MINJUSTICIA, , p. 11).…”

Section: The Production Of Territorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some extraction is embedded in a very complex criminal web, linked to arms and drug trafficking, as well as money laundering. This has bankrolled and intensified an unconventional warfare, transforming local economies and triggering major socio‐environmental upheavals (Tubb, ). We did not find evidence of illegal mining occurring along the coast of the Gulf of Tribugá, but local leaders claimed it takes place inland.…”

Section: The Production Of Territorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“… Most large‐scale mining projects are in preparatory stages (Tubb, ). In 2015, mining titles covered 6.5% of the Chocó department, more than half 3.37% titled to Exploraciones Chocó Colombia (Colombia) and AngloGold Ashanti Colombia S.A. (South Africa).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Fluid geographies: Marine territorialisation and the scaling up of local aquatic epistemologies on the Pacific coast of Colombia

Satizábal

Batterbury

2017

Trans Inst British Geog

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The Pacific region of Colombia, like many sparsely populated places in developing countries, has been imagined as empty in social terms, and yet full in terms of natural resources and biodiversity. These imaginaries have enabled the creation of frontiers of land and sea control, where the state as well as private and illegal actors have historically dispossessed Afro‐descendant and indigenous peoples. This paper contributes to the understanding of territorialisation in the oceans, where political and legal framings of the sea as an open‐access public good have neglected the existence of marine social processes. It shows how Afro‐descendant communities and non‐state actors are required to use the language of resources, rather than socio‐cultural attachment, to negotiate state marine territorialisation processes. Drawing on a case study on the Pacific coast of Colombia, we demonstrate that Afro‐descendant communities hold local aquatic epistemologies, in which knowledge and the production of space are entangled in fluid and volumetric spatio‐temporal dynamics. However, despite the social importance of aquatic environments, they were excluded from Afro‐descendants' collective territorial rights in the 1990s. Driven by their local aquatic epistemologies, coastal communities are reclaiming authority over the seascape through the creation of a marine protected area. We argue that they have transformed relations of authority at sea to ensure local access and control, using state institutional instruments to subvert and challenge the legal framing of the sea as an open access public good. As such, this marine protected area represents a place of resistance that ironically subjects coastal communities to disciplinary technologies of conservation.

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Section: The Production Of Territorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Production Of Territorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fluid geographies: Marine territorialisation and the scaling up of local aquatic epistemologies on the Pacific coast of Colombia

Satizábal

Batterbury

2017

Trans Inst British Geog

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“…There are no premises to capture and dump waters and there is a scarcity of technical studies and infrastructure for environmental control [25]. Several research show that the departments of Chocó, Córdoba, Antioquia and Bolívar have high level pollution by mercury in their rivers [11,13,42,43]. This has triggered several issues in these regions.…”

Section: Review Of Improving the Water Management For The Informal Gomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Whereas that gold production figures for the Chocó deparment increased, according to official sources, over 265% between April and December 2009. The region became the second largest gold producer in Colombia [13]. Only the departments of Antioquia, Chocó, Bolívar and Córdoba have almost 80% of Mining Production Units (MPUs) in Colombia, Antioquia with 39.9% (1,526 MPUs), Bolívar with 23.4% (967 MPUs), Chocó with 12.3% (507 MPUs) and Córdoba with 0.8% (33 MPUs) [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of improving the water management for the informal gold mining in Colombia

Bustamante¹,

Danoucaras²,

McIntyre³

et al. 2016

Rev. Fac. Ing. Antioquia

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Colombia is one of the largest producers of gold in Latin America and it has recently increased its production, especially in the Departments of Antioquia, Chocó, Bolívar and Córdoba, which in 2014 produced 90% of Colombia's gold. Most of this production comes from artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM). Parallel with this boost in production, there is concern about the health of rivers, since many local mines discharge untreated waters and tailings directly to waterways. This situation has awakened awareness in the communities of Colombia. Water is essential to carry out daily activities and for their society and economy. This article review displays three current challenges in Colombia that have been identified with local government, universities, environmental authorities, consultants and mining industry. These challenges are: water pollution; aquifer protection; and changes in natural sedimentation in rivers. Based on previous work done in the region, this paper suggests new research directions to create opportunities for more sustainable practices. In particular, this paper identifies the opportunity to implement a series of practices to manage water and tailings at informal mining sites. The paper also highlights the importance of engaging communities, informal and formal miners, government and researchers in order to create consciousness of the importance of water in Colombia. This is an opportunity to create discussions that help miners to manage water and tailings, adapting these practices to their specific needs and through simple technologies. RESUMEN:Colombia es uno de los mayores productores de oro en América Latina, y recientemente ha aumentado su producción, especialmente en los departamentos de Antioquia, Chocó, Bolívar y Córdoba, los cuales en 2014 tuvieron una participación del 90% en la producción total de oro del país. La mayor parte de esta producción proviene de la Minería Aurífera Artesanal y de Pequeña Escala (ASGM, por sus siglas en ingles). Simultáneamente a este aumento en la producción, existe una preocupación por la contaminación que se genera sobre los recursos hídricos del país, debido a que la mayoría de minas artesanales e informales arrojan los relaves o desechos del proceso de recuperación de oro a los afluentes hídricos sin recibir ningún tipo de tratamiento previo. Esta situación ha despertado preocupación en las comunidades cuya economía se ha visto afectada, pues el agua que proviene de los ríos no solo es utilizada para satisfacer sus necesidades, sino también en la agricultura para el riego de los cultivos. En este trabajo se exponen tres desafíos actuales que posee el país frente a la utilización del agua en la mineria de oro tradicional, estos retos fueron identificados gracias a la colaboración del gobierno local, entes académicos, las autoridades ambientales, consultores y la industria minera. Estos desafíos son: la contaminación de los ríos producto de los desechos o relaves de la mineria artesanal de oro, la protección de los acuíferos y los cambios ...

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Review of the social and economic dynamics under Colombian mining policy: Cursing the blessing?

Isaza

2022

J of Intl Development

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This paper describes the socio-economic dynamics that, in the Colombian case, underlie the relationship between mining and the territory where it takes place. The description includes the key features of public policy regarding mining, under which mineral resource extraction may have produced unintended effects that raise doubts regarding mining's contribution to Colombian economic development.Under a qualitative approach, I carried out a documentary analysis from which I identified several aspects of the economic and mining policy. The analysis confirms several of the explanations for the so-called resource curse hypothesis, the connection between these aspects, and of them with specific policy decisions.

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Muddy Decisions: Gold in the Chocó, Colombia

Cited by 24 publications

References 33 publications

Fluid geographies: Marine territorialisation and the scaling up of local aquatic epistemologies on the Pacific coast of Colombia

Fluid geographies: Marine territorialisation and the scaling up of local aquatic epistemologies on the Pacific coast of Colombia

Review of improving the water management for the informal gold mining in Colombia

Review of the social and economic dynamics under Colombian mining policy: Cursing the blessing?

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