Conference on Sustainable Future and Environmental Science Notes

Title of Research: Contamination of natural resources and its configuration of environmental crime in a high Andean artisanal mining, Apurimac, Perú.
Authors: Hilda María Bernal Cartolin, University Cesar Vallejos, Lima, Perú; Mario Huachaca Felix, Technological University of the Andes, Andahuaylas, Perú.
Corresponding Author: floramarilla_2008@hotmail.com
Publication Details: IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science, Volume 1236 (2023), Article 012002, DOI:10.1088/1755-1315/1236/1/012002.

The research addresses the impacts of mining and natural resource extraction on Andean communities, noting significant pollution challenges that necessitate interventions to address the configuration of environmental crimes.
Research Purpose: Identify indicators that assess the severity of damage to natural resources due to environmental crime in Apurimac, Peru.
Methodology: Conducted a quantitative investigation using interviews with a sample of 38 legal operators experienced with environmental crimes.
Findings: Dangerous, repetitive behaviors escalate pollution acts against natural resources, specifically impacting surface water, groundwater, and soil.
Conclusion: Artisanal mining pollution lacks accountability; a need exists for effective environmental management to safeguard indigenous communities' resources.

Economic Significance: Mining is pivotal for economic growth in Peru, particularly for impoverished artisanal miners.
Regulatory Compliance: Artisanal mining often occurs without adhering to national social, administrative, and environmental laws.
Current Issues:
- Expansion of artisanal mining due to migration from Andean populations.
- Increased water pollution, agricultural soil erosion, heavy metal release, and food chain contamination.

Pollution Severity: Artisanal mining generates moderate pollutants, with varying risk levels, and impacts water bodies are notably evident.
State Failures: Despite efforts, the state struggles to mitigate pollution effects from artisanal mining due to criminal groups' influence.

Study Objectives: Analyze the intensity of polluting acts and assess damage severity from mining activities.
Data Collection: Conducted in the Andean region; comprised primary data via questionnaires from legal professionals and secondary data through judicial reports.
Sampling Method: 38 legal operators (prosecutors, judges) participated, utilizing hotspot analysis and other spatial tools for environmental crime distribution.

Survey Structure: Utilized a Likert scale (1-Disagree, 2-Neither, 3-Agree) to gauge reactions on pollution intensity and damage severity.
Analysis Techniques:
- Categorical variable analysis achieved a 95% confidence interval.
- Quantitative variables assessed through central tendency and measures of dispersion.
- Chi-Square ($X^2$) tests for variable comparisons and Cronbach's alpha for reliability measurement.

Judicial Findings: Evidence of environmental crime linked to various mining companies operating illegally, particularly in Tipicocha, Fundo Utupalla, with substantial ecological damage:
- Soil degradation through deforestation and coverage loss.
- Contaminated water bodies due to mining runoff and chemical reactions leading to acidic conditions.
Legal Operators' Agreement: Majority (84.21%) acknowledged judicial charges correlated with environmental crimes related to funding illegal mining operations.

Long-Term Impacts: Prolongation of the environmental effects due to mining practices requires criminal accountability against offending companies.
Figures: Detailed visual representations were provided indicating legal feedback assessing environmental damages attributable to mining activities.

Emphasis on the importance of environmental management strategies to mitigate the pollution caused by artisanal mining and to protect the natural resources of indigenous people.

Environmental crime increases due to informal mining's socio-economic pressures.
Discussion encapsulated the legal, ethical, and practical implications of environmental protections under Peruvian law and the responsibility of businesses.
Legal Limitations: The current law lacks measures for the accountability of legal entities involved in environmental harms.

The study isolated key factors influencing the severity of damage caused by mining operations, advocating for clearer legal repercussions for environmentally damaging activities.
Recommends: Enhanced environmental governance and stricter enforcement of laws to guard against ongoing pollution from illegal mining practices.

List of relevant literature and studies cited in the research for further reading on illegal mining and environmental management in Peru.