Following on from the previous section, Killeen explains the particularities of the extractive industries in Brazil and Peru.
As part of its broader ESG strategy, Vale is implementing water-conservation strategies and investing in renewable energy across all its operations. This includes purchasing electricity from the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam on the Rio Xingu and the Estreito hydrodam on the Rio Tocantins.
The mine was operated for the first three decades using placer mining technologies that destroyed thousands of hectares of riparian forest on land that once belonged to the Waimiri–Atroari Indigenous nation. This iconic Indigenous tribe survived a genocidal attack by the military in the 1960s only to be dispossessed of a third of their territory by the mining concessions granted to Mineração Taboca .
Opponents object on environmental and social grounds arguing the mine site is on an ecologically fragile area and would impact nearby Indigenous and ribeirinho villages. The company claims the spatial footprint will be minimized because tailings will be returned to underground shafts and water will be recycled to reduce impacts to floodplain habitats. A major point of contention is agreements with local communities.
The Yanacocha mine is a sprawling multi-pit complex spanning more than 5,000 hectares in the semi-arid highlands of the Central Andes. It was opened in 1993 and suspended operations in 2022. The mine site is notable for the absence of tailing ponds, a consequence of the heap-leach technology used to extract gold.