Mining in the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon: Hotspots analysis and regulatory efficiency

The Amazon hosts 40% of the world's rainforest, and its rivers represent 15% of the total fluvial discharge to the oceans. In Ecuador, this biome is the focus of socio-environmental conflicts due to the development of mining processes that affect Conservation Units and Indigenous Territories. This study proposes to explore the development of mining processes in the southern Ecuadorian Amazon, using land use and land cover data and spatial analysis tools to evaluate the efficiency of mining regulations and laws implemented during the last 15 years in Ecuador. The results revealed the mining projects, rivers, conservation units and indigenous territories where the most significant mining hotspots are located. The spatial analysis techniques of satellite data used in this study contribute to monitoring and tracking the progress of surface mining activities, providing a new perspective for assessing the impact of mining in areas where economic and socio-environmental interests converge.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Published
2025-08-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/igarss55030.2025.11243279
Primary Topic
Mining and Resource Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Mining in the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon: Hotspots analysis and regulatory efficiency

Meryeme Boumahdi, Dayla Carolina Rodrigues Santos, Sergio Mauricio Molano Cárdenas, Dimitri Bulatov et al.
Mining and Resource Management
article

Mining in the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon: Hotspots analysis and regulatory efficiency

Meryeme Boumahdi, Dayla Carolina Rodrigues Santos, Sergio Mauricio Molano Cárdenas, Dimitri Bulatov, Aluizio Brito Maia, Petra Helmholz, Lucas Lima Raiol, Isabel Adriana Chuizaca-Espinoza, Andrés Velastegui-Montoya, Daniela Romero-Bermeo, Valentina Ramírez San Miguel
article en

Abstract

The Amazon hosts 40% of the world's rainforest, and its rivers represent 15% of the total fluvial discharge to the oceans. In Ecuador, this biome is the focus of socio-environmental conflicts due to the development of mining processes that affect Conservation Units and Indigenous Territories. This study proposes to explore the development of mining processes in the southern Ecuadorian Amazon, using land use and land cover data and spatial analysis tools to evaluate the efficiency of mining regulations and laws implemented during the last 15 years in Ecuador. The results revealed the mining projects, rivers, conservation units and indigenous territories where the most significant mining hotspots are located. The spatial analysis techniques of satellite data used in this study contribute to monitoring and tracking the progress of surface mining activities, providing a new perspective for assessing the impact of mining in areas where economic and socio-environmental interests converge.

Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR), Planetary Science Institute (US), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BR), Curtin University (AU), Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (EC), Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (BR), Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation (DE), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (BR), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES)
Openalex Percentile: Top 61%
Mining and Resource Management
DOISourceOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.