Local contributions to a history of mining in the Colombian Amazon

Mining activities have implied an increase in indiscriminate logging in order to respond to the demand of miners for wood to build their gold extracting rafts; it has also led to a widespread use of mercury which is being poured out in the Caquetá River. Some testimonies point out that violence has increased considerably in the last year, especially in Puerto Santander, due to the new presence of arms, prostitution and alcohol. The fishing storage in Araracuara, which used to be one of the most important fishing centers in the area, is now absolutely empty. Many reasons are given to explain this situation: locals are working for miners and do not have time for fishing, the water is contaminated with oil and other chemicals and, consequently, “fish are escaping to other places” and, besides, “fish tastes like oil”.

Mining was welcomed in the area by some indigenous communities because they thought it could offer an alternative income to locals. Nevertheless, extraction activities do not come alone and their negative consequences grow by leaps and bounds. It is common to hear that communities have lost control over their territories since the great majority of miners are not locals and indigenous are being employed in exchange for a small percentage of the production. In addition, the changes in the local economy and the arrival of people from other parts of the country have generated an inflation of local prices. And since indigenous communities are actually abandoning their subsistence practices for the illusion of gold, they are now paying unbelievable amounts for basics.

This is not the first time an extraction phenomenon disorganizes the social dynamics and the local production of these communities. This kind of process has been taking place in remote indigenous communities of the Amazon since the rubber extraction boom at the end of the 19th Century and they leave behind a social memory of loss and exploitation. The fact that communities are so weak in face of the entrance of such booms may have its roots in this history of extraction in their territory. But such history might also become a strengthening factor if indigenous communities become more aware of the consequences of illegal processes and learn how to avoid suffering the negative impacts of such activities. The case of mining has aggravating features since it evidently erodes the ecosystem by making rivers a lifeless territory in the long term. [For more details about how mining affects the Amazon tropical forest we recommend this video.]

In the document Local contributions to a history of mining in the Colombian Amazon, TBI Colombia explores the perception of mining at a community level and gives voice to the first hand witnesses of mining activities. The testimonies unfold very detailed accounts of what is happening in their territories today and in other parts of the Colombian Amazon which suffered similar processes. There are also some stories of resistance to the pressure from different actors to enter indigenous territories with mining objectives. The document also contains some indications on how minerals are understood from a traditional perspective and their role in the balance of the ecosystem. This compilation offers a close up to the impacts of gold mining in the Amazon and should be read in order to understand the complexity of these activities in indigenous communities.

The main question remains: what alternatives can be developed in order stop this highly contaminating and degrading activity?