From Protests to Policy: How the Institutionalization of Indigenous Movements Affects Environmental Policy Related to Resource Extraction In Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 26, 2019
- Creator
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VonZabern, Karl
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Political Science
- Abstract
- Introduction: There is overwhelming evidence that indigenous communities in Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia face a disproportionate amount of environmental degradation from extractive industries compared to their counterparts that identify as mestizo or white. Environmental protection and territorial autonomy are fundamental tenants of most indigenous political organization in rural regions with an acute environmental impact from extractive practices. Indigeneity is linked intrinsically to territory, but environmental degradation in indigenous territories is more than just a land issue. Pollution from extractive industries is extremely detrimental to the public health of indigenous communities across the Andes. High rates of environmental degradation on indigenous land is surprising given the fact that a substantial portion of the population identifies as indigenous and because of the growing environmental consciousness across international communities since the 1970s. Intuitively, one would expect that indigenous people would have more political power in the national political arena purely because they make up a large portion of the electorate. This intuition proves to be false for a variety of historical legacies that have undermined and repressed indigenous groups. Air and water degradation from resource extraction is extremely consequential for local communities. The negative effects of concentrated extraction, however, are less apparent and less urgent for policy makers in the international community. Indigenous environmentalism must be distinguished from a global environmentalism because transboundary pollution such as deforestation and climate change have different set of problems from concentrated pollution from resource extraction. The distinction between local and global environmentalism is salient because the power dynamic between the two scenarios are so different. The political forces involved in local resource extraction are asymmetrical compared global environmental movements. Global environmental movements benefit from and rely on international pressures to move policy whereas localized environmental movements have to work within their respective national framework. Although international politics is intertwined in the cases discussed in this thesis, the domestic political structure and quality of institutions take precedence over international actors. The goal of this thesis is to analyze why have indigenous environmental movements in countries with such a high population of indigenous people continued to fail? It looks at how indigenous social movements in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, became part of the formal political institutions given varying antecedent conditions such as mobilization of on the basis of ethnicity and the desire for organizations to institutionalize. It traces how those movements tried to create and enforce environmental policy, and why there is still no long term environmental policy protecting indigenous peoples in these countries. It utilizes case studies from each of these three countries and a multilevel theory of political analysis to determine the forces responsible for fluctuations in environmental outcomes. This thesis argues that government dependence on certain extractive industries creates a serious barrier for indigenous political movements who seek alliances with the left leaning parties. By tracing the roots of indigenous political organization from social movement to political parties, this thesis then evaluates the impact the newfound political institutions have had on the three chosen cases of environmental degradation. The cases of La Oroya in Peru, the Oriente region in Ecuador, and the case of TIPNIS road project in Bolivia demonstrate the importance and limitations of political mobilization based on indigenous identity.
- Date of publication
- spring 2018
- Keyword
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Advisor
- Huber, Evelyne
- Degree
- Bachelor of Arts
- Academic concentration
- Political Science
- Honors level
- Honors
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 2018
- Language
- English
- Date uploaded
- April 25, 2018
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