A call for the remediation of Peru’s history: mining environmental liabilities

Abstract

Centuries of mining activity and vast mineralogical resources have positioned Peru as one of the most important centres of the extractive industry worldwide. The article introduces the reader to the importance of this activity for past Peruvian civilisations, as well as the cause and effect correlation between years of mining activity and the environmental contamination generated by mining environmental liabilities. The identification and characterisation of former abandoned or inactive mining units at the national level is crucial to understand one of the reasons contributing to the country’s current environmental problems. The need to prioritise the remediation of mining environmental liabilities, as well as the updating of current regulations and the promotion of voluntary remediation are tasks that the State must address as effectively as possible.