Impacts of Extractive Regime on an Andean Ecosystem: Borax Mining and the Spoliation of Yareta in the Ascotán Salt Flat (Chile, 1880-1915)
Since the late nineteenth century, the Salar de Ascotán in northern Chile has been transformed into a key borax extraction zone, becoming integrated into global mining circuits following the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). This process unfolded along four main dimensions: (1) postwar territorial rec...
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | Spanish |
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Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano
2025
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.academia.cl/index.php/tiempohistorico/article/view/2913 |
| Summary: | Since the late nineteenth century, the Salar de Ascotán in northern Chile has been transformed into a key borax extraction zone, becoming integrated into global mining circuits following the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). This process unfolded along four main dimensions: (1) postwar territorial reconfiguration; (2) exploitation of natural resources; (3) corporate gains through tax exemptions; and (4) unrestricted access to ecosystems, leading to the devastation of the yareta (Azorella compacta). This case exemplifies a form of ecological subsidiarity, where the unlimited exploitation of ecosystems was redefined to meet the growing global demand for minerals.
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