Impacts to Andean Bear & Habitat
Extractive Industry
The extraction of natural resources, called the extractive industry, has provided many benefits to South American countries. The extractive industry includes mining, drilling, logging, and agricultural practices. The industry has brought nations such as Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia out of economic depression in a world of capitalism. The industry has also decreased poverty and increased social equality through the introduction of nations to the international market system. Mining and drilling have created a pathway towards economic stability for struggling nations. The industry creates jobs, development, roads, schools, hospitals, and many more beneficial opportunities for nations. However, the industry creates a dependency called the “extraction curse,” where once a part of the industry, the nations become trapped by the continual dependency on the incoming revenue that extraction provides. Due to this “curse”, these South American countries will have a difficult time breaking away from the industry (3).
Natural resource extraction also generates societal distrust, illness from pollutants, and human and environmental dislocation from the movement of land and disruption of natural systems. The extractive industry can destroy complete ecosystems and spread pollution and contaminants through air, water, plants, animals, and humans, for hundreds of miles. The building of roads and creation of mines or drilling sites causes habitat destruction and fragmentation, isolating species, such as the Andean bear, from breeding with adjacent populations. This can lead to the dramatic declines in population numbers and species movement. The nation of Ecuador is given as an example, where habitat is shrinking due to the industry, leaving very few locations of relatively undisturbed habitat (3;4).
Natural resource extraction also generates societal distrust, illness from pollutants, and human and environmental dislocation from the movement of land and disruption of natural systems. The extractive industry can destroy complete ecosystems and spread pollution and contaminants through air, water, plants, animals, and humans, for hundreds of miles. The building of roads and creation of mines or drilling sites causes habitat destruction and fragmentation, isolating species, such as the Andean bear, from breeding with adjacent populations. This can lead to the dramatic declines in population numbers and species movement. The nation of Ecuador is given as an example, where habitat is shrinking due to the industry, leaving very few locations of relatively undisturbed habitat (3;4).
(3) Bebbington, Anthony. “Social Conflict, Economic Development and the Extractive Industry: Evidence from South America”. Extractive industries, socio-environmental conflicts and political economic transformations in Andean America. 2012.
(4) Robins, A. Nicholas. “Connecting the Drops, Wider Human and Environmental Costs.” Mercury, Mining, and Empire the Human and Ecological Cost of Colonial Silver Mining in the Andes. 1964-2011.
(4) Robins, A. Nicholas. “Connecting the Drops, Wider Human and Environmental Costs.” Mercury, Mining, and Empire the Human and Ecological Cost of Colonial Silver Mining in the Andes. 1964-2011.