An Assessment of Mine Legacies and How to Prevent Them

A Case Study from Latin America

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Environmental, Science, Earth Sciences
Cover of the book An Assessment of Mine Legacies and How to Prevent Them by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva, Springer International Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Vladimir Pacheco Cueva ISBN: 9783319539768
Publisher: Springer International Publishing Publication: February 20, 2017
Imprint: Springer Language: English
Author: Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
ISBN: 9783319539768
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Publication: February 20, 2017
Imprint: Springer
Language: English

This book seeks to enrich the growing literature on mine legacies by examining a case study of a small abandoned mine in Latin America. Using a combination of Rapid Rural Appraisal and secondary source analysis, this study assessed some of the most damaging legacies of the San Sebastian mine in eastern El Salvador, compared the country’s mine closure legislation against world’s best practice standards and provided strategies for awareness, prevention and remediation. 

The most damaging legacy to the environment is that of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) contamination of the local river.  The impact of AMD is felt well beyond the mining district and the costs of prevention and remediation were found to be significant. Apart from environmental legacies, the mine also left a number of socio-economic legacies including: limited access to non-polluted water that results in San Sebastian residents devoting a high proportion of their income in obtaining water, lost opportunities due to the cessation of mining, uncertain land tenure situation and increasing growth of ASGM activities that exacerbate already existing environmental pollution due to use of mercury. The study also found that the state’s capacity to ensure compliance with the law is very weak and that in many important respects the country’s current legal framework does not meet world’s best practice when it comes to mine closure requirements.

The findings are important because they demonstrate that the lack of closure planning can lead to private operators socializing the costs of pollution. The study also shows that the lack of state capacity may result in extractive projects becoming socio-economic liabilities in the long term.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book seeks to enrich the growing literature on mine legacies by examining a case study of a small abandoned mine in Latin America. Using a combination of Rapid Rural Appraisal and secondary source analysis, this study assessed some of the most damaging legacies of the San Sebastian mine in eastern El Salvador, compared the country’s mine closure legislation against world’s best practice standards and provided strategies for awareness, prevention and remediation. 

The most damaging legacy to the environment is that of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) contamination of the local river.  The impact of AMD is felt well beyond the mining district and the costs of prevention and remediation were found to be significant. Apart from environmental legacies, the mine also left a number of socio-economic legacies including: limited access to non-polluted water that results in San Sebastian residents devoting a high proportion of their income in obtaining water, lost opportunities due to the cessation of mining, uncertain land tenure situation and increasing growth of ASGM activities that exacerbate already existing environmental pollution due to use of mercury. The study also found that the state’s capacity to ensure compliance with the law is very weak and that in many important respects the country’s current legal framework does not meet world’s best practice when it comes to mine closure requirements.

The findings are important because they demonstrate that the lack of closure planning can lead to private operators socializing the costs of pollution. The study also shows that the lack of state capacity may result in extractive projects becoming socio-economic liabilities in the long term.

More books from Springer International Publishing

Cover of the book Analytical Techniques and Methods for Biomass by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book The Social Metabolism by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Mathematical Problems in Data Science by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Metric Diffusion Along Foliations by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Sweden: From Neutrality to International Solidarity by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Crop Improvement by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Noise and Vibration Mitigation for Rail Transportation Systems by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Helmut Schmidt by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Genomic Designing of Climate-Smart Oilseed Crops by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Cyber Security Intelligence and Analytics by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Christian Zionism and English National Identity, 1600–1850 by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Distributed Computer and Communication Networks by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Fictions of the Press in Nineteenth-Century France by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book India's Climate Change Identity by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
Cover of the book Personhood Beyond Humanism by Vladimir Pacheco Cueva
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy