Mining in Ecuador. Past, present and future

Abstract

The Ecuador National Government aims to consolidate the mining sector as the second export sector, focusing the actions on guaranteeing the investments and fighting again illegal mining. Therefore, the government officially presented the new Ecuador Mining Policy 2019 - 2030, and new reforms to the Mining Law are under discussion to encourage domestic and foreign investment. In addition, more control in the mining sectors by the Ministry of the Interior is being developed to combat illegal mining, which generates a high security risk for mining operation workers and for nearby populations, due to armed clashes and money-laundering. For this study the objective has been to diagnose the current state of mining in Ecuador, in different contexts: legal, environmental, social and economic. A 4% GDP contribution to growth in metallic mining is expected by the year 2021. The three most exploited non-metallic minerals are: limestone, clay and pumice. In addition, the largest exploitation volume occurs in construction materials, which are distributed throughout the country. Social conflicts are a fundamental issue in the mining sector, where there are different points of view about those different aspects such as economic development, business conduct, life cycle management, community welfare, working conditions, and environmental responsibility.