LEC 5: Class Presentations

Question 1

Bolivia: What are the risk of mining to the community?

Answer 1

• Lithium is not renewable
• Damage to the sites can affect environment and natural beauty and tourism
• Loss of traditions and culture with the Saraos who work on the flat lands
• Do not have much mining experience in Bolivia, thus increasing the risk to be exploited from other countries and companies
• Negative impact on desert eco-system

Question 2

Bolivia: What are the benefits of mining to the community?

Answer 2

• Infrastructures transforming the landscape by improved roads, hospitals etc.
• Increase in economy
• Could make more jobs and decrease poverty

Question 3

Bolivia: What local factors should be considered?

Answer 3

• Loss of slat mining can bring about the loss of culture and tradition (Saraos people)
• Jobs that they have are very rooted in their ways with tradition and culture
• Increased stress on H2O supply
• If planning to mine independently, country can go bankrupt

Question 4

Bolivia: Why Should mining be recommended in Bolivia?

Answer 4

• Economically beneficial if kept in country
• Regulations need to be set in place to protect natural beauty and communities
• Need policy to protect exploitation by other countries

Question 5

Bolivia: Why should mining NOT be recommend in Bolivia?

Answer 5

• Long term environment and cultural tradition problems

- Decrease in tourism, fragile ecosystem, harmful to population and infrastructure

Question 6

Saskatchewan: What are the risk of mining to the community?

Answer 6

• Social exclusion; addictions are high due to social exclusion and communication with others
• Higher crime rates due to substance abuse
• Increased risk of depression due to isolation and are often away from friends and family
• Environmental risk; pollution and radiations from mining
• Industrial regulations; a lot of companies do not maintain upkeep of the mines
• Increased money that the mines bring in are not being used beneficially, such as drugs, alcohol, and prostitution

Question 7

Saskatchewan: What are the benefits of mining to the community?

Answer 7

• Jobe opportunities for people, but it is not a stable job and no way to really move up
• Help economy structures
• Health and safety has significantly increased throughout the years
• Positive economic impact for people within the community; without the mines they would have no jobs
• Have the potential to providing more money for the community, if income is being used appropriately

Question 8

Saskatchewan: What local factors should be considered?

Answer 8

• Broke away from traditions and culture of Indigenous people; when you switch your lifestyle you switch your family dynamic
• No proper hospital/ emergency centers that are well equipped
• Self-governing community: representation increase, center on what’s best for the community
• Pollution: Assess the environment and look ahead

Question 9

Saskatchewan: Why should mining be recommended in SK?

Answer 9

It is basically a necessity but need to increase transparency regarding regulations, environmental risk, health risk, awareness, and increase greater education

Question 10

Saskatchewan: Why should mining NOT be recommended in SK?

Answer 10

Overall it negatively impacts the environment, community, traditions, and family when looking at it from a community sense; ineffective distributions of benefits