Mining in Ecuador was slow to develop in comparison to other Latin American countries, in spite of large mineral reserves.[1] As late as 2012, according to the United Nations, Ecuador received less foreign direct investment per person than any other country in Latin America.[citation needed] During the 1980s, mining contributed only 0.7 percent to the Ecuadorian economy and employed around 7,000 people. Minerals were located in regions with little to no access, hindering exploration. Ecuador has reserves of gold, silver, copper, zinc, uranium, lead, sulfur, kaolin and limestone. The latter practically dominated the early industry as it was used in local cement plants.[2]
Gold, which was largely forgotten since its early exploitation in the sixteenth century, regained momentum in the 1980s. Ecuador was exporting 2.4 tons per year by 1987, which was mostly discovered in the southern Sierra region, as well as the southeastern province of Zamora-Chinchipe.
In 1985 Ecuador's Congress passed a new law to encourage foreign exploration and investment that simplified regulation and offered higher financial incentives and lower taxation for investors, while also establishing the Ecuadorian Institute of Minerals (Instituto Ecuatoriano de Minería—Inemin) under the Ministry of Energy and Mines.[2]
Mining has contributed to environmental conflict in Ecuador; and Indigenous-led popular uprisings have made demands for Indigenous consultation on mining projects and increased protection for land and water. During 2012, Indigenous leaders organised a two week march to the capital in protests of mining concessions granted to China. In June 2022, protestors halted production at Mirador copper mine by blockading entry roads as part of a larger national uprising that made multiple demands on the Ecuadorian government, including a moratorium on the expansion of mining and oil projects.[3]
^Sánchez-Vázquez, Luis; Espinosa, María Gabriela; Eguiguren, María Beatriz (2016). "PERCEPTION OF SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS IN MINING AREAS: THE CASE OF THE MIRADOR PROJECT IN ECUADOR". Ambiente & Sociedade. 19: 23–44. doi:10.1590/1809-4422ASOC129708V1922016. ISSN 1414-753X.
^ abU.S. Library of Congress (1989). "Ecuador: A Country Study". Country Studies. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
^Valencia, Alexandra (2022-06-26). "Ecuador government, indigenous leaders hold first talks amid protests". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south...
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has privatized 220 state-owned firms via joint ventures and consortia in the mining and fuels industries. The firms have generated $9.2 billion, with an...
mines in their territory. In 2022 activists in Quito, Ecuador gathered 380,000 signatures to petition a mining referendum to block a mining project in the...
referendum was held inEcuador on 21 April 2024, amid the 2024 Ecuadorian conflict. The referendum was held on proposed security measures. In January 2024,...
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