Is a environment-friendly small-scale gold mining possible? Environmental impacts and perception in a small watershed in the southern Peruvian Amazon

Abstract

The potential of an environment-friendly small-scale gold mining is discussed, which can become an inclusive development strategy in the Madre de Dios region. The study focuses on the perception of the local population of the environmental impacts of gold mining and the willingness to adopt measures to reduce those impacts. The case study is the Huacamayo small watershed, one of the main mining areas of the Madre de Dios region, which showed an accelerated process of expansion of this activity between 2007 and 2009. The results show that the main factors involved in the perception of environmental impacts are: the possibility of direct observation of the impact, the ability to understand the causes and processes involved and the availability of information. The weak appreciation of the forest and the services it offers, together with the predominance of an extractivist logic, have facilitated practices that degrade the environment. The majority of the population identifies the main impacts of mining activity and expresses its willingness to adopt measures to reduce them. The disposition of the population should be considered to improve the mining processes through technical guidance, incentives or control mechanisms. Likewise, it is important to promote the appreciation of ecosystem services.