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Mining in El Salvador

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Mining in El Salvador was once utilized to extract gold and other minerals from beneath the surface, but has generally been halted due to policy changes in the last two decades.

Mining expanded in scope from artisanal mining to industrial mining at a mine in San Sebastián, which was acquired by Commerce Group Corp. in 1968 [1]. Mining activity ceased during the Salvadoran Civil War[1]. After the war, the country's right-wing government proposed designated mining zones and issued exploration licences to many foreign mining companies. The plan was met with opposition from many local community and community leaders, who successfully blocked exploration in Chalatenango in 2006, a municipality both desired by mining companies and sensitive to the potential impacts of mining practices[2].

Mining for metal was banned in 2017, following years of social unrest and opposition from the local community.[3]

History

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Artisanal mining has occurred in El Salvador, including at the San Sebastian Gold Mine that opened in 1904.[4] Mining became a national significant economic activity in the 1970s when Waukesha, Wisconsin-based company the Commerce Group Corp industrialised the mine[1]. The industrialisation led to the cyanide, arsenic, and mercury poisoning of the San Sebastián River[1]. Mining in El Salvador was halted by the Salvadoran Civil War.[5]

After the civil war, the Nationalist Republican Alliance came into power, and in the subsequent years developed new economic reforms in order to attract foreign investment.[3] These reforms included less taxes and more protection legally for foreign companies looking to invest in the profitable landscape.

In 2002, Canadian company[6] Pacific Rim Mining Corporation obtained a license to explore El Dorado gold mine[7] but were denied a license to mine in 2008.[8] The mine had been in operation, according to Pacific Rim Mining Corporation's parent company OceanaGold, from 1948 to 1953.[9]

In 2005, Canadian company Au Martinique Silver began prospecting in Chalatenango, despite objections from the majority of community leaders, who with support from U.S. activist organization the Madison Arcatao Sister City Project successfully halted the project.[5] In this same year, the National Roundtable Against Metal Mining (also known as "La Mesa") was formed by local organizations and community activists, acting as a figurehead for the anti-mining movement.[10]

A "Week Against Mining" was held in June 2006 across the country in order to protest extractive mining practices, as well as educate the population about the potential risks of allowing such projects to take place in El Salvador.[11] This shifted the majority opinion of the people within the country into a dislike of the idea of mining practices.[11]

Between November 2007 and March 2009, the left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) launched their presidential campaign with then-journalist Mauricio Funes as their frontrunner and opposition to mining on their agenda.[3] After Funes won the presidency and served for 5 years in this position, a shift towards anti-mining opinions and legislation occurred.[3]

Metal mining was officially banned in 2017 in El Salvador,[12] following a campaign by activists, local organizations, community members, and the catholic church.[13][14] Despite the ban, artisanal mining continues.

The government agency General Directorate of Energy, Hydrocarbons and Mines was formed in October 2021.[12] The arrest of anti-mining activists, amidst allegation of a 1989 murder[15] during the Salvadoran Civil War, prompted public speculation that Nayib Bukele's government may lift the ban.[16] Antonio Pacheco, the director of ADES was among those arrested.[12]

At the time, El Salvador was in financial troubles, following a failed crypto currency scheme.[14]

Environmental Concerns and Conflicts

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El Salvador is a small nation, densely populated and very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.[16] The Lempa River is an integral water resource for the nation, and has been affected by both resource depletion and contamination,[10] affecting the livelihoods of those dependant on the river.

Local opposition to mineral mining is derived from the effects on natural resources such as water from the Lempa River and the contribution to overall ecosystem degradation in the region.[10][17] According to a 2011 report by the United States Agency for International Development, El Salvador has been deforested by 85% since the 1960s, and approximately 90% of surface water is polluted.[17]

The Pacific Rim Mining Corporation enacted a lawsuit against the Salvadorian government in 2009 due to their denial of the company's mining permit and lack of mining concession.[18] In 2016, the company lost this suit by a ruling from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).[18]

The Association of Economic and Social Development (ADES) organization works to highlight water pollution issues in El Salvador.[12]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Broad, R., & Cavanaugh, J. (2013). Gold for export?… or water & food for life? the case of gold mining in El Salvador.
  2. ^ Dario, S. (2006, September 6). Chalatenango communities say “no” to mining before Salvadoran Legislative Assembly: Mining Watch Canada. MiningWatch. https://miningwatch.ca/news/2006/9/6/chalatenango-communities-say-no-mining-salvadoran-legislative-assembly
  3. ^ a b c d Spalding, R. J. (2018). From the Streets to the Chamber: Social Movements and the Mining Ban in El Salvador. European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies | Revista Europea de Estudios Latinoamericanos y Del Caribe, 0(106), 47.
  4. ^ Dougherty, Michael (12 April 2017). "El Salvador Makes History". North American Congress on Latin America. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  5. ^ a b Dinur, Esty (2018-04-01). "How El Salvador Won on Mining". The Progressive. Archived from the original on 2023-07-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  6. ^ Pablo, Carlito (2010-01-06). "Salvadoran activists target gold mine". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on 2010-01-13. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  7. ^ Gutiérrez, Raúl (2009-05-18). "EL SALVADOR: Gold Mining 'Is a Huge Rip-Off' - Environmentalists". Inter Press Service. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  8. ^ Wallace, Janet MacGillivray (2010-05-29). "Will the World Bank undermine the people of El Salvador in mining dispute?". Grist. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  9. ^ "OceanaGold 2017 Sustainability Report" (PDF). OceanaGold Corporation. 1 June 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Artiga-Purcell, James Alejandro (2024-09-26). "Entangled social movements: extractivism and water justice in El Salvador". Social Movement Studies: 1–18. doi:10.1080/14742837.2024.2407293. ISSN 1474-2837.
  11. ^ a b Nadelman, R. H. (2017). El Salvador’s Challenge to the Latin American Extractive Imperative. In K. Jalbert, A. Willow, D. Casagrande, & S. Paladino (Eds.), ExtrACTION (1st ed., pp. 184–197). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315225579-13
  12. ^ a b c d Radwin, Maxwell (2023-02-07). "Is El Salvador preparing to reverse its landmark mining ban?". Mongabay. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  13. ^ Nadelman, Rachel (2015). "'Let Us Care for Everyone's Home': The Catholic Church's Role in Keeping Gold Mining Out of El Salvador". SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2706819. ISSN 1556-5068.
  14. ^ a b Schalk, Owen (2 May 2023). "El Salvador's Historic Metal Mining Ban Is in Danger". Jacobin. Archived from the original on 2023-03-31. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  15. ^ Lakhani, Nina (2023-01-14). "Salvadoran environmental defenders detained for decades-old crimes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  16. ^ a b "El Salvador Arrests Prominent Anti-Mining Activists". North American Congress on Latin America. Archived from the original on 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-07-01.
  17. ^ a b United States Agency for International Development. (2011). El Salvador Country Profile: Property Rights and Resource Governance. https://www.land-links.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/USAID_Land_Tenure_El_Salvador_Profile_0.pdf
  18. ^ a b Broad, R., & Fischer-Mackey, J. (2017). From extractivism towards buen vivir: Mining policy as an indicator of a new development paradigm prioritising the environment. Third World Quarterly, 38(6), 1327–1349. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2016.1262741
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