Mining, development and unequal regionalization in subnational Latin American contexts

Abstract

Territorial planning based on the use of nature is a problem that needs to be addressed in Latin America since it reaffirms the extraction and export of minerals as a development strategy and exacerbates economic dependence on natural resources. The objective of this research is to study mining on an intranational and interregional scale from a territorial and environmental approach to evaluate the relevance of functional regionalization plans that seek to reduce inequality and protect the environment. The mining sector's productive indicators and other social, demographic and environmental indicators were analyzed using official data for the period 2010–2020. The application of territorial planning instruments - such as functional regionalization - promotes the creation of corporate territories that benefit mining companies to the detriment of the population and the territories they inhabit. Uneven development prevails on an inter-regional scale, leaving some regions excluded, impoverished and environmentally depredated. More comprehensive policies are needed to face the processes of territorial inequality and the subsequent reconfiguration of power, so the inhabitants of the territories can make effective decisions on how to lead a dignified life while prioritizing the productive activities that contribute to this objective.