Meanings of Mining - A political ecologist´ approach on the regulation of artisanal and small-scale

199 Pages·2016·14.88 MB·English

Master’s Thesis 2016 60 ECTS
Department of International Environmental and Development Studies –
NORAGRIC

Meanings of Mining
A political ecologist’ approach on the
regulation of artisanal and small-scale gold
mining in Southern Ecuador

Gard Frækaland Vangsnes

International Environmental Studies
The Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, is the
international gateway for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Eight
departments, associated research institutions and the Norwegian College of Veterinary
Medicine in Oslo. Established in 1986, Noragric’s contribution to international development
lies in the interface between research, education (Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes) and
assignments.

The Noragric Master thesis are the final theses submitted by students in order to fulfil the
requirements under the Noragric Master programme “International Environmental Studies”,
“International Development Studies” and “International Relations”.

The findings in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of Noragric. Extracts from this
publication may only be reproduced after prior consultation with the author and on condition
that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation contact Noragric.

© Gard Frækaland Vangsnes, May 2016
[e-mail] / [e-mail]

Noragric
Department of International Environment and Development Studies
P.O. Box 5003
N-1432 Ås
Norway
Tel.: [phone]
Internet: https://www.nmbu.no/om/fakulteter/samvit/institutter/noragric
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Declaration

I, Gard Frækaland Vangsnes, declare that this thesis is a result of my research
investigations and findings. Sources of information other than my own have
been acknowledged and a reference list has been appended. This work has not
been previously submitted to any other university for award of any type of
academic degree.

Signature……………………………….Gard Frækaland Vangsnes
Date…………………………………………18th of May, 2016
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To all the hard-working miners of Portovelo-Zaruma
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Acknowledgements

The thesis at hand rests heavily on the strong shoulders of the people in Portovelo and
Zaruma. I am deeply grateful to their welcoming hand, their friendly invitations and to all the
wisdom they have shared with me. A particular thanks goes to the miners and workers who
have introduced me to their universe on both sides of the earth’s fragile crust.

As this thesis revolve around the subject of mining regulation, I am grateful to the cooperative
efforts of ARCOM (Ecuadorian Agency of Regulation and Control of Mining) who provided
me with a unique opportunity to follow their on-going work in Portovelo-Zaruma. A special
thanks goes to Celso Atarihuana who coordinated this cooperation and also responded to
numerous e-mails before and after my fieldworks. I am also grateful for the cooperation with
the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment (MAE), the National Institute of Metallurgical and
Geological Mining Research (INIGEMM) and the Provincial Government of El Oro.
Additionally, I would like to thank the municipalities of Zaruma and Portovelo for approving
on my research plan and setting me up with key individuals. Likewise, the association of
owners of processing plants (APROPLASMIN), facilitated my research on an early stage.

Besides this, many people have guided me throughout this work. Chief among them is my
supervisor Esben Leifsen who sparked the initial idea to embark on this very project. He has
provided me with highly constructive, critical feedback on numerous drafts and ideas ever
since.

The thesis at hand is the culmination of the master program, International Environmental
Studies, at Noragric, NMBU. I am grateful to both teachers and fellow students at Noragric
for providing a fruitful atmosphere for learning and discussion. I am also grateful for the
NMBU field support that covered one of my air-tickets to Ecuador.

Janne Sønnesyn at Sogn of Fjordane University College, has corrected my English grammar
of the entire manuscript and I am thankful for her efforts.

The following individuals have also contributed importantly to the creation of this thesis: Jose
Luis Maldonado Quintero (fotos y compañia bro!), Kjersti Benedicte Klausen, Fabrizzio
Tapia Zavala (buenas conversaciones bro!), Ramiro Rodriguez, Clodoveo Astudillo, Magner
Turner y esposa, Miguel Peñareta y su linda familia, and all the ones I forgot to mention here.

Finally, yet most importantly, I wish to acknowledge the support of my wife Tatiana, my son
Sebastian, and his grandparents on both continents for helping out in every sense of the word.

All remaining errors, inadequacies, and shortcomings are, of course, solely my responsibility.

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Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the regulation of artisanal and small-scale mining in Portovelo-
Zaruma (P-Z) in the South-Western corner of Ecuador. With the use of political ecology and
an ethnographic approach I argue that there are substantial shortcomings to the existent
apolitical research on this context and the governmental regulation that is informed by the
latter. The thesis analyses the historical trajectory of mining activity in Porto and how it
evolved into its current composition. It is argued that the co-existence of different forms of
mining is the bedrock for a highly complex situation which governmental regulations struggle
to acknowledge and effectively confront. The thesis follows this complexity with a focus on
the enforcement of regulation and the responses it creates in the local setting. I argue that
current governmental regulations are: 1) problematically affiliated with natural science
blaming artisanal miners for the environmental degradation, and 2) representative for a
rationality of corporate social responsibility. The outcome of this leads regulators away from
acknowledging internal power relations and the political dimension in which this resource
governance is embedded. Accordingly, I expose these relations and situate their respective
claims and dynamics in divergent epistemological traditions. My objective in this thesis is
three-folded: 1) to confront and complement the dominance of apolitical research that obscure
the socio-political complexity of the field, 2) to expand on the theory of interlegality in
contexts of artisanal and small-scale mining, and 3) to highlight and recognize the importance
of situated perspectives in the tradition of political ecology
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Abbreviations and acronyms

ASGM - Artisanal and small-scale gold mining

APROPLASMIN - Association of Owners of Processing Plants (Propietarios de Plantas de
Beneficio Mineral de El Oro)

ARCOM - Agency of regulation and control of Mining (Agencia de Regulación y Control de
Minería)

CODIGEM - Corporation for Development and Metallurgical Geological Mining Research
(Corporación de Desarrollo e Investigación Geológico Minero Metalúrgico)

CSR - Corporate Social Responsibilty

DGGM - Directory of Geology and Mines (Dirección General de Geología y Minas)

GEF - Global Environment Facility

IESS – Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security (Instituto Ecuatoriano de Seguridad Social)

INIGEMM - National Institute of Metallurgical and Geological Mining Research (Instituto
Nacional de Investigación Geológico Minero Metalúrgico)

MAE – Ministry of the Environment (Ministerio del Ambiente)

SRI - Ecuadorian internal rents/tax service (Servicio de Rentas Internas)

UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization
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