Socioenvironmental conflicts and social representations surrounding mining extractivism at Santurban

Abstract

During the process of delimitation of the Santurban moorland ecosystem (Colombia), a socioenvironmental conflict arose from small and large-scale mining extractivism. This study analyzes the social representations of settlers in this moorland ecosystem, regarding the meaning, practice and value of their territory and water as a vital resource, in order to interpret their perceptions on the internal dynamics of conflict and the different aspects symbolizing their complexity. An ethnographic design was implemented by NVIVO software information coding. The findings underscore the uncertainty of rural stakeholders facing the impossibility to continue to develop ancestral mining activities and the disputes arising from the urban setting for the defense of water. It was concluded that the socioenvironmental conflict presented requires ongoing participation from rural and urban settlers, in consideration to their permanent questions regarding the current situation in their regions and the permanent search for solutions.

Contrary Perceptions of Environmental Health and the Governance of the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, Colombia

“…Unlike other cases where mining was allowed which had a negative impact on the environment and health, triggering the process of claiming damages, in Bucaramanga, civil society mobilized against the permission for gold exploitation by a multinational mining company. However, this social fight has generated a socio-environmental conflict between the inhabitants of the páramo who conduct small-scale gold mining without mercury use, and the inhabitants of the city who consume the water coming from the mountain [11]. This fact motivated our research question: what are the perceptions of government officials, the members of civil society, and the academics about environmental health problems and the region's governance in Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area, Colombia.…”