New responses to mining extractivism in the Bolivian lowlands: the role and potential of indigenous cooperatives in self-managing mining resources

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe plurinational state of Bolivia serves as role model for the implementation of indigenous peoples’ participatory rights in extractive projects. However, recent cases reveal significant deficiencies in relation to budget, corruptive practices and lacking respect for indigenous structures, customs and traditions in Chiquitano territories. This article questions the legitimacy of said processes and demands alternatives to guarantee indigenous peoples’ genuine participation in projects which affect them. Apart from hydrocarbon extraction, other natural resource sectors remain to be explored and exploited; in this case mining extraction plays an essential role. Due to high levels of institutional empowerment of indigenous peoples’ organisations in the Chiquitano lands, corporate and state-led mining exploitation has encountered opposition and led to alternative management of resources in said territories. Indigenous cooperatives that self-manage mining resource use exemplify the latest response to state and corporate extractivism. At first view, participatory rights have been ruled out due to a sophisticated and widely recognised system of indigenous cooperative mining resource exploitation. However, the consistent presence of state and corporate actors, as well as other outside pressures, jeopardise the smooth functioning and role of such new actors in extractive industries.