The "Granillo Negro" Mine on Santa Cruz.

One of the major concerns of the special use that is made of natural protected areas is the extraction of stone materials.

The great pressure exerted by the population for the construction of civil works (airports, hotels, public buildings, and houses), is producing an irrational over-exploitation of this resource.

The increase in requests for the supply of stone blocks used in the decoration of certain homes and hotels is causing real labyrinths in sensitive areas with the sole objective of the few benefiting at the expense of nature, felling endemic trees, and reshaping landscapes for the entrance of vehicles to the collection areas.

The exploitation of sand and granule has reached the saturation of the water table in the "Cerro Quemado" Mine on San Cristóbal Island, owned by the National Navy, because it does not have sound management and exploitation plans.

"	The great pressure that the population is putting on construction is producing an irrational over-exploitation of stone resources."

The extraction of stone material on Santa Cruz by the Municipal Government starts at km 27 of the road to Baltra, in the "Granillo Rojo" and "Granillo Negro" Mines.

The pressure exerted on building materials such as sand, granule, and gravel, is leading to an over-exploitation of the resource and an irrational, anti-technical, disorganized, and arbitrary exploitation, creating real craters and causing not only a visual impact but also an impact on the landscape with changes in biodiversity due to noise, dust, garbage, organic material, human excrement, and lubricants.

Due to the high demand for materials such as ornamental stones and filling material, large areas are being exploited for the extraction of so-called block stone or lava surfaces used in the decoration of certain homes and hotels.

	Apparently "natural", the lava or stone block surface is purely ornamental, and its overuse implies an irrational over-exploitation of the stone resources of the islands and a degradation of the protected areas.

This extraction is causing real labyrinths in sensitive areas with the sole objective of the few benefiting at the expense of nature, felling endemic trees and reshaping landscapes for the entrance of vehicles to the collection areas.

Concerning this situation, the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park is performing the restructuring of mines, given the need for these to be exploited in a technical way, with management plans and taking advantage of their useful life.

To achieve these objectives, we must begin with a demarcation of the mine, along with a soil conditioning phase, reforestation programs and evaluations of the biotic and physical components and then a technical exploitation, by building banks or exploitation terraces in order to lower the slope of the quarry and to provide work safety.

With this history, the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park sees the need to promote sustainable management of stone resources, beginning with an assessment of the state of the "Granillo Negro" and "Granillo Rojo" Mines on Santa Cruz.

To date, the geological and morphological studies and physical and biotic assessments of mining areas have been carried out.

Evaluation of the "Granillo Negro" Mine

The operation is currently performed in the traditional way: a person ties a rope around his or her waist, which is held at the top, and with a pick begins to extract the material, which is transported to the crusher with a wheelbarrow.

	Traditional exploitation in the "Granillo Negro" Mine on Santa Cruz

The volume of material extracted from the "Granillo Negro" Mine in 2007 was 20,513 m3, which included black granule, black sand, black gravel, and black filling stone. At US $35, $15, $25 and $35/m³ respectively, it adds up to about US$ 411,955.

At this rate of extraction, it is estimated that the resource (of a volume of approximately 493,400 m³) will last less than 25 years. Given the increased demand, the resource will last significantly less.

As for the animals and plants living in the area, it was determined that, while the mine is not a hazard to birds (since common birds at this site are not threatened and are found in other parts of the island and on other islands) and the presence of reptiles is low, the area does contain 11 endemic species of plants, two of which are in danger of extinction.

The complete matrix of the environmental impact considers different impacts for the environment, the soil, exploitation, the air, the flora, the terrestrial fauna, the air-borne fauna, the socio-cultural environment and health, and the slope (or slope of the land).

Download: Matriz Ambiental de la Mina de Granillo Negro (PDF, 52 Kb)

From the matrix, one can conclude that the more severe negative impacts are related to the spreading and increase of invasive species such as ants and rats. The generation of waste, noise, and the disturbance of the natural landscape are also negative impacts.

The positive impacts are related to the development of the local economy and the employment of native manpower in the Galapagos.

Evaluation of the "Granillo Rojo" Mine

	The current operation is performed on a more industrial scale, with the use of trucks to transport the material directly from the mine.

The material extracted from the "Granillo Rojo" Mine in 2007 was 31,755 m³, including red granule, red sand, red gravel, and red filling stone. At US $35, $15, $25 and $35/m³ respectively, it adds up to about US $186,335.

At this rate of extraction, it is estimated that the resource (of a volume of approximately 1,908,698 m³) will last about 57 years. Given the increased demand, the resource will last significantly less.

As for the animals and plants living in the area, a large variety of birds including the Galapagos vermillion flycatcher (Pyrocephalus rabinuz), a species in danger of extinction, were identified as well as a large number of invasive plants and four species of endangered plants. Rodents were also detected. There are several species of invertebrates in the area, of which at least the Himenópteras formicidae are most at risk of extinction in the Galapagos.

The complete matrix of environmental impact considered various impacts on the environment, soil, exploitation, air, fora, terrestrial wildlife, fauna air, the sociocultural environment and health and the slope (or slope of the land).

Download: Matriz Ambiental de la Mina de Granillo Rojo (PDF, 52 Kb)

From the matrix, one can conclude that the most severe negative impacts are those related to the loss of vegetation cover, erosion and sedimentation, accidents due to landslides, alterations to the natural landscape, bird mortality, traffic accidents, increase in introduced rodents, increase of malignant insects, and disease transmission.

The positive impacts are related to the development of the local economy.

Plan for the sustainable use of stone resources

As proposals for better management of stone resources, different extraction techniques are considered such as terracing for the "Granillo Negro" Mine or the reduction of the slope with the extraction of banks in a spiral shape in the "Granillo Rojo" Mine.

Reforestation is advisable to reduce environmental and landscape impacts and to prevent the chaotic erosion of the terrain.

In the "Granillo Rojo" Mine there are problems of excessive noise due to the crushers, so the use of ear protection is recommended.

The creation of an Environmental Management Plan for both mines is being considered that would include Prevention, Mitigation, Minimization, and Environmental Impact Monitoring Programs, as well as Abandonment at the end of the useful life of the mines. The Plan would include Solid Waste Management and Contingency and a Risk Program in case of emergencies or accidents.

Progress of the Pilot Plan

After conducting the respective studies in 2008, summarized here, the Pilot Plan is in the process of approval before it can proceed with the phases of mine restructuring, ground leveling, placement of the organic layer, and reforestation and mitigation.