Abstract

CAMPA MADRID, Ana Karen  and  RIVERA CASTANEDA, Patricia. Open pit mining activity in Álamos, Sonora. Nóesis, Rev. cienc. soc. [online]. 2022, vol.31, n.62, pp.86-107.  Epub Sep 01, 2023. ISSN 2395-8669.  https://doi.org/10.20983/noesis.2022.2.6.

In addition to presenting himself as economic development, the discourse on mining activity must integrate the inequalities of power and benefits that exist in it. The objective of this work is to analyze the existing and potential socio-environmental implications promoted by open-pit mining activity in the municipality of Álamos, Sonora under the focus of political ecology. Methodological dynamics is a combination of discourse analysis and spatial analysis, the first through semi-structured interviews and the second with calculations of vegetation and water stress indices. The results indicate two main aspects in Álamos, Sonora: the presence of a positive dominant discourse in favor of the mining industry as a provider of local employment, which differs with the socioeconomic characteristics of marginalization and poverty of the municipality; and the discursive acceptance of the problem of the reduction of vegetation and water limitations in the area, however, the interviewed population visualizes these aspects detached from the mining sector.

Keywords : Open-pit mining; political ecology; social inequality; municipal analysis.

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