Spoliation, socio-environmental conflicts and human rights violation Implications of large scale mining in Latin America

Abstract

Latin American governments have given an important boost to the mining sector in their territories, in order to attract foreign investment. The article exposes the findings of a documentary review that sought to identify and to describe territorial implications that, within the framework of a neoliberal model, has brought with it the implementation and strengthening of large-scale mining in Latin America. From the analysis process, information is presented in three categories: main impacts associated with large-scale mining in Latin American territories, emergence of environmental conflicts linked to the activity and the conditions that, within the countries and in relation to the large-scale mining, favor the violation of human rights. It concludes on the relevance of thinking about the large-scale extractive activity in the key of social and environmental justice, putting in the balance the "benefits" that it generates, but also the externalities and affectations that it leaves in its wake.