The Ministry of Environment issued Resolution 0001/2017 that establishes new mechanisms for increased control and supervision on the environmental impacts of non-metallic raw materials extraction. The Ministry says the new measures seek to simplify and make more transparent the procedures of those granted concessions for the extraction of aggregates.
The resolution describes clear guidelines to be followed in the extraction of materials and provides detailed rules for restoration that must be adhered to during and after the approved extraction operation. It also seeks to regularize the hundreds of companies that have operated for years without effective supervision from the Ministry.
The plan also seeks to reduce the extraction in environmentally fragile areas, and definitively bans the issuance of concessions in officially designated protected areas, river and stream basins, wetlands, areas located less than 150 meters from coastal areas and areas of high risk to populations or public service infrastructure. Extraction is also banned in areas declared of tourist interest, world heritage areas or protected archaeological sites.
The Ministry announced the implementation of surveillance by photogrammetry, with the use of remote sensing technologies and drones for surveying and mapping.
“The role of the Ministry is not to create obstacles to development and growth, but regulate productive activities so these comply with the law that governs the sustainable use of our nation’s natural resources.”
Read the new resolution in Spanish at:
Ministry of Environment
10 March 2017
