Abstract

LARA-RODRIGUEZ, Juan Sebastián; FURTADO, André Tosi  and  ALTIMIRAS-MARTIN, Aleix. Platinum and gold mining in Chocó: Poverty, natural wealth and informality. Rev.econ.inst. [online]. 2020, vol.22, n.42, pp.241-268. ISSN 0124-5996.  https://doi.org/10.18601/01245996.v22n42.10.

The Department of Chocó, Colombia, has the largest platinum alluvial extraction in Latin America, with gold as an associate metal. Such materials are extracted by informal artisanal and small-scale mining organizations. This text aims to examine the sustainable development of Chocó's mining, and takes the Department's dimensions as analytical units: The 'social' dimension shows how poverty is exacerbated. The 'environmental' dimension determines harms and risks in a megadiverse area, and the economic dimension 'economy' explains the dependency of informal mining and illegal activities. Thus, we argue, " The economic informality precludes the sustainable development of platinum and gold mining". Finally, we discuss insights for transformation change.

JEL: Q01, O30, L72

Keywords : Colombia; Chocó; sustainable development; artisanal and small-scale mining; informal economy.

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