Mining concessions cover 21 million hectares in Mexico, an area almost equivalent to the state of Chihuahua. Its activity contributes 2.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while concessions exist within 68 of the 142 Protected Natural Areas (ANP), according to information from the federal government.
“They are considered Protected Natural Areas because they have unique environmental conditions. Generally endemic vegetation and fauna, that is, it only happens there, such as the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán and the State of Mexico [...] if they are lost, they are impossible to restore,” explained Dr. Leticia Merino, coordinator of the Academic Observatory of Society, Environment and Institutions of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in an interview with Causa Natura.
The effects of mining are reflected in the environment and also in the quality of life of the population, but they are committed to this productive activity on the assumption that it contributes to development, added Dr. Merino.
A few weeks ago, María Luisa Albores González, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), said that so far in the administration, no new concessions have been granted, but there are 68 in force, covering 1.5 million hectares.
From 2006 to 2018, more than 1,059 tons of gold have been extracted, which represents six times what was recorded during the 300 years of the colonial era. In the case of silver, it was 48,626 tons, 90% more than at that time, Secretary Albores explained during the morning press conference on May 19.
The problem is that 40 kilograms of explosives are used to obtain an ounce of gold, up to 200,000 liters of water are consumed and around 650 kilos of CO2 are emitted into the atmosphere, according to information from the Observatory.
“We have also found that the main municipalities that produce gold and silver have conditions of poverty and extreme poverty, educational backwardness and lack of access to basic services. If large profits are generated, they are hoarded and are concentrated in very few hands,” said Dr. Merino.
In Mexico, the entities with the largest mining presence within the ANP are Querétaro, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí and Hidalgo with 16 projects; Coahuila with 15 projects; Baja California and Baja California Sur with 13 each.
Decades of damage: river spills and degenerative diseases
The commitment to mining as part of the Mexican economy took place three decades ago. In 1992, two years before the entry into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Mining Act was amended in Article 6, ensuring that the exploration, exploitation and benefit of minerals are of public utility and “shall be preferred over any other use or exploitation of the land”.
“In legal terms (mining) is above any other activity, be it conservation of biodiversity, agriculture for food security or community forest management,” explained researcher Merino.
One of the best-known cases is Wirikuta, the sacred territory of the Huichol (Wixárica) people, in San Luis Potosí. Since 1988, this site has been part of the worldwide network of sacred natural sites of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and, despite this, in 2011, during the administration of former President Felipe Calderón, 22 mining concessions were awarded to the Canadian company First Majestic.
“Over the past decade, there have been more than 200 accidents related to mining activities in Mexico. These accidents include tailings and spills of toxic compounds in rivers and other bodies of water. The collapse of the tunnels of a coal mine operated by Grupo México stands out, which caused the death of 65 miners who were inside,” recorded the UNAM Observatory coordinated by Dr. Merino in a collective documentation entitled 'This is what mining looks like in Mexico'.
This documentation records how mining activity produces toxic metal waste such as cyanide, mercury or sulfuric acid. Exposure to these can cause dermatological, ophthalmic, respiratory, neurological diseases; miscarriages or premature births, malformations, among others.
Open-pit mining, one of the most commonly used techniques, promotes soil erosion and contamination, as well as deforestation. In addition to polluting water, soil and aquifers. As happened in 2014 with the Grupo México mining spill in the Sonora River.
Although Semarnat recognizes all these effects on the environment and health, the initiative to prohibit the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons and minerals in the ANP remains under arrest in the Senate.
Tourism and possible solutions
“I wouldn't say that mining should not be carried out, but it should be banned in ANP and be subject to a less permissive, more careful legal framework. Concessions must be given in accordance with the affected local populations, the assessment of environmental impacts must be carried out conscientiously by the government, not by companies,” proposed researcher Merino, in addition to denying that there is “sustainable mining” as proposed by the Ministry of Economy.
One of the options that has also been discussed by defending localities and environmental actors is tourism. This is in relation to citizen participation in the ANP.
“We don't want tourism like Cancun or the Riviera Maya where large tourism companies have also appropriated the land. We want tourism that effectively contributes to local, more regulated and sustainable development. To demand it is to take seriously the fact of being citizens and to demand more responsibility from legislators,” Merino concluded.
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