Mining is one of the industrial sectors with greatest potential impacts in terms of land-use, environmental pollution and social implications. To illustrate the environmental situation of the mining sector in Latin America, three case studies in Ecuador, Bolivia and Chile were chosen. As the case studies show, the introduction of the environmental dimension into mining programmes and projects is closely related to the political and economic situation of the country, the market tendencies and the international price of the minerals, among other factors. The mining sector in theSe, and most other Latin American countries, is beginning to consider environmental protection as part of the design, construction and operation of their installations. As the costs involved are much greater, only a few mining institutions are looking at remediation work and at the provision of productive alternatives to already polluted sites.
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