It was debated and developed over almost two years of work from the grassroots of the communities and finally approved in general assembly on August 22, 2015. The 33 communities also jointly developed a protocol for the application of their rights.

If alternative extraction technologies to the evaporative separation method were used, the 'waste' water could be replenished underground and the possible risks eventually minimized.įor more than a decade, the communities of the Kolla and Atakama indigenous peoples of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc have been carrying out a process of civil organization and resistance through judicial channels, including the presentation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to claim their rights to participation and consultation. Thus, the most essential resource for the population of the entire region is lost and the fragile ecosystem is thrown out of balance. In addition, a large amount of potable water is used in various other production steps. The exploitation of brine (groundwater with a high concentration of salts of mining interest) causes displacement of the groundwater beds and the mixing and thus salinization of the drinking water reservoirs. Enormous amounts of water are needed to extract lithium, and this in one of the driest regions of the world. The exploration project is at an advanced stage, but the evaporation extraction method that currently prevails is considered destructive, as it depletes scarce water resources, drains wetlands and puts at risk the communities living there. Due to its solubility it is present in seawater and highly concentrated in closed basin brines (salt flats), with 22.4% of the world's reserves found in Argentina.Īt the Salinas Grandes del Noroeste, total reserves are estimated to reach 216,987 tons of lithium carbonate. Lithium is an alkaline metal used especially in rechargeable electric batteries (lithium-ion batteries). In recent years, lithium has become one of the strategic resources in the global transition towards the generation of clean energy and the implementation of transportation systems with low carbon dioxide emissions.

How are salt flats formed