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Contested “Citizen Science” and Problems of “Participatory” Research: questions of legitimacy, democracy and the campesino voice in water quality assessment in the Andes.

Sat, May 30, 2:00 to 3:45pm, TBA

Abstract

Mining operations worldwide have a reputation for releasing toxic effluents and thus are quickly blamed for environmental degradation and human health problems. Water quality is often a point of conflict between local residents and the mining companies, yet transparent information about effluent composition or scale of release is often not available to all actors. Participatory water monitoring has been suggested as a way to increase transparency and serve as a mechanism to ease such conflict. This paper reports on two years of participatory water monitoring facilitated within thirteen communities in the Cordillera Huayhuash of the Peruvian Andes. Seven of the communities are affected by mines that range from artisanal to medium-scale multinational operations and in activities from exploration to entrenched extraction. The results provide evidence of water contamination from the mines and of natural contamination in locations without extractive activity. The findings show that the interpretation of the results where multiple and contested definitions of water quality are mobilized may be the most difficult aspect of participatory water monitoring. Indeed, there are striking parallels between the legal validity of the water quality results in this study and legitimacy problems in other forms of participatory research such as participatory action research mapping. Furthermore difficult sustainability questions arise such as who will pay for the monitoring, how to make the results meaningful and legitimate, and how to implement long-term mitigation efforts. Participatory monitoring is no panacea for resolving short term conflict, but improved water governance can be expected in the long-term.

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