Desarrollo de herramientas de gestión socio-ambiental para cuencas andinas con actividades mineras = Development of socio-environmental management tools for Andean basins with mining activities

Abstract

We present an analysis of three socio-environmental management tools developed and applied to an example of Andean basin with mining activities of significant importance. Socio-environmental conflicts related to mining activities are of increasing interest in the region. Most of them include water quality or quantity issues as a central part of the disputes. On the other hand, environmental regulations are changing from a paradigm focused on pollution control to a paradigm based on the health of the ecosystems, much more related with sustainable development and well-being than before. Some authors defend the participatory use of technical and scientific knowledge with local stakeholders in these contexts, while others report some boomerang effects of these practices. The work presented here shows that it is possible to develop and adapt management tools such as hydrological modeling, environmental monitoring and sustainability indices, to support the public debate and informed opinion to these particular contexts; and, at the same time, innovate within the water resources sector. The experience also shows the limits and requirements of the proposal. Political leadership is needed to overcome conflicts by promoting public structures for supporting water governance; technical and managerial tools and capacities of private sector are not enough. There are local initiatives that accumulate valuable knowledge and practice these processes of change from conflict to technical cooperation and public participation in the region