Experiences of voluntary early participation in Environmental Impact Assessments in Chilean mining |
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| Institution: | 1. Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Vicuña 4860, Mackenna Santiago, Chile;2. Department of Transport Engineering and Logistics, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Vicuña 4860, Mackenna Santiago, Chile;3. Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable, Centro de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de Desastres Naturales, Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Centro Interdisciplinario de Cambio Global, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Vicuña 4860, Mackenna Santiago, Chile;1. School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L3G1, Canada;2. Department of Public Health Sciences, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada;3. Leading Researchers, NGO, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia;1. Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80,115, 3508TC, Princetonlaan 8a, Utrecht, The Netherlands;2. Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, Wageningen, The Netherlands;3. KENTER, Muizenheuvelstraat 87, Ranst, Belgium;4. Flemish Department of Environmental & Spatial Development (Departement Omgeving), Koning Albert II-laan 20, 1000 Brussels, Belgium;5. Tractebel Sustainable Urban Development, Van Immerseelstraat 66, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium;1. Institute of Marine Science and Limnology, Universidad Austral de Chile, Chile;2. Center of Environmental Sciences EULA-CHILE, Universidad de Concepción, Chile;3. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA;4. Centro de Investigacion en Medio Ambiente (CENIMA), Universidad Arturo Prat, Chile;1. Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada;2. Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg R3B 2E9, Canada;1. Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile;2. Departmento de Ecosistemas y Medio Ambiente, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Chile;3. Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Las Palmeras 345, Santiago, Chile;4. Centro Interdisciplinario de Cambio Global, Vicuña Mackenna 4860, Macul, Chile |
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| Abstract: | Citizen participation should ideally occur as early as possible in a project, especially throughout the course of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study. In Chile, participation occurs after the EIA study has been completed and presented to authorities for evaluation. However, voluntary early participation has become an extended practice in large mining projects for financial and conflict-reduction reasons. The purpose of this study was to explore a variety of these early participation processes happening in large mining projects from 2001 to 2010 and analyze how well these practices measured up to standards and objectives defined in the EIA and participation literature. Beyond the legal implications of such practice, we sought to understand the role of this voluntary procedure within the EIA process and citizen engagement in projects. We found a wide range of objectives, approaches and results, primarily driven to facilitate approval and implementation of the ten projects analyzed. The underlying objective of voluntary participation processes analyzed (whether it seeks to inform, to note or to engage), determined the information presented, participants included, area of influence considered, time devoted to the process and influence of the information collected on EIA and project mitigation measures. Few of the principles for best practice in the literature were present in the ten projects examined. Moreover, given the voluntary and unregulated nature of these processes, purposes and outcomes were often mixed-up with the Indigenous Consultation required under ILO provision 169, or Corporate Social Responsibility programs. This finally revealed that contrary to expectations, an unregulated and early voluntary participation is not having a clear impact in the definition of projects mitigation measures, participants are at risk of being unsatisfied with the resulting agreements and moreover, it does not assure projects implementation or the avoidance of socio-environmental conflict. |
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