# For development without destruction

**Published by:** [@alexsotodigital](https://paragraph.com/@alexsotodigital/)
**Published on:** 2025-12-30
**Categories:** regenerative, blockchain, mendoza, sanjorge, economy, latam
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@alexsotodigital/for-development-without-destruction

## Content

While traveling through Argentina, I came across a situation that deeply affected me. Here is a cry for help, and an invitation to collective action in support of life.In a quest to revive Mendoza's economy, the government of Javier Milei, together with the Mendoza governor Alfredo Cornejo, promoted and approved the San Jorge mining project in Las Heras, in the foothills of the Andes. Las Heras, Mendoza, ArgentinaWhile their motivation appealing to 'progress' may be legitimate, promising direct jobs and economic growth, presenting the project's narrative as "sustainable" is frankly absurd.Ultimately, the San Jorge Project represents the typical extractive model of dispossession that Latin America knows all too well. Literally, open-pit metal mining removes irreplaceable resources from the subsoil—tons of minerals that took nature millennia to form—and takes them far away. In economic and social terms, this extraction functions as a legalized plunder: a foreign company extracts the wealth, the profits leave the country, while local communities bear the environmental and social liabilities. Is there anything further from sustainability than that?An open-pit mining crater. - geoinnova.orgIn Uspallata, this is painfully clear. The deposit will be operated by the Swiss company Zonda Metals, as a subsidiary of Solway Investment Group GmbH. In other words, foreign capital sheltered in tax havens that seeks capital accumulation regardless of the well-documented externalities. The province of Mendoza, for its part, will barely receive a 3% in royalties for the copper extracted. This abysmal gap means that for every dollar that stays in Mendoza, thirty-two more will go to accounts abroad, repeating the historical cycle of economic colonialism.In practice, extractivism is dispossession: the Earth is stripped of its finite resources and the people are deprived of the benefits, leaving only the scraps and the damage.For this reason, on December 8, 2025, just a few weeks ago, around 400 protesters from Mendoza took to the streets to protest (walking collectively 120 km from Uspallata to Mendoza) shouting “Mendoza's water is not negotiable!” and “Without water there is no future”, resisting the advance of the San Jorge project.Photo taken from the protest Outside the fenced-off Legislature, thousands of people shouted this slogan because they understand something that developmental triumphalism omits from its discourse: there is no economic wealth that can compensate for the loss of water, health, and territory. When the company is gone, having made its profits, what will remain? Polluting tailings dams and spoil heaps will remain, a massive environmental liability that Mendoza will have to monitor and mitigate for generations. A primary-sector-based economic model (exporting raw copper concentrate) that leaves little added value in the region will also remain.And above all, a community will be left impoverished in its quality of life: with barren soils, a degraded landscape, and potentially poisoned water. The project's proponents speak of dollars and technology, but they ignore the true metaphor: this mining is a double theft, both material and symbolic. They take our common resources and, moreover, they rob us of our future.Regenerative alternatives:Faced with the mirage of mega-mining,Mendoza has alternative development pathswhich do not involve destroying its natural heritage. The province has historically excelled in sustainable activities and can enhance them through innovation. But let's be clear: for regenerative alternatives to extractivism to be truly viable in Mendoza (such as ecotourism, agroecology, responsible tokenization, or cultural valorization), it is essential to legally protect the territory that sustains them. It is not enough to have good ideas if the soil where they could flourish remains open to the threat of mega-mining. That is why a paradigm shift is urgently needed: we must stop thinking of development as the exploitation of what lies beneath the earth and start seeing it as the care of what lives on it. This change requires strong legal frameworks that prioritize the common good and ecological resilience, such as the creation of ‘Protected Areas’ at the provincial level, where all extractive activities are expressly prohibited. Turning Uspallata into a nature reserve of ecosystemic, cultural, and water interest would be a clear political and ethical signal. That is the path of regenerative development, where the economy wins, the people win, and the planet wins. Some specific proposals include:Conscious and ecological tourism: Instead of destroying mountains, they could invite us to admire them. Uspallata, with its mountain beauty, can be a hub for nature and adventure tourism, promoting lodges, local guides, and cultural experiences. Intelligently planned tourism generates local employment, distributes income within communities, and values ​​the untouched landscape instead of devastating it. One example to follow is Costa Rica, which has transformed the 26% of its territory is in protected areas and developed a regenerative ecotourism model that represents almost 10% of GDP. Parks like Monteverde or Tortuguero attract millions of visitors a year interested in biodiversity, wildlife viewing, interpretive walks and scientific tourism, all managed with low environmental footprint standards.Datos sobre los tesoros naturales de Costa Rica - revista E&NQuality agroecological production: Mendoza is synonymous with vineyards and orchards, but the future could lie in expanding organic and agroecological agriculture. There is a global market for food and wines free of pesticides, produced ethically. Investing in sustainable agricultural innovation would make Mendoza's rural economy more resilient, creating added value (designations of origin, wine tourism) without compromising the water. Learn from France, which offers an example of rural transformation based on the prestige of nature: the Drôme region, for example, was a pioneer in organic farming and today leads organic production in Europe, with more than 30% of its cultivated area without agrochemicals. This was driven by local public policies, support for agroecological conversion, short marketing networks, and the strengthening of a territorial identity linked to quality of life.Mirmande, Drôme - TheDrôme Montagne.Valuing cultural and ancestral heritage: Local communities (including Indigenous and farming communities) possess an invaluable cultural legacy in traditional practices, crafts, festivals, and knowledge about the land and water. Development projects can integrate these communities, whether through cultural routes, site museums, fairs, or Andean history interpretation centers in Uspallata (an area crossed by the vestiges of the Inca Trail and routes used by San Martín). These projects could attract visitors from around the world interested in authentic and environmentally responsible experiences. This fosters a sense of identity and belonging, while also providing decent incomes for rural families. A global benchmark is the Sacred Valley of the Incas in Peru, where indigenous communities manage a portion of the territory not only as a tourist destination, but as a living territory of ancestral culture. Experiences like Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero integrate ancient agriculture, immersive tourism, and the protection of archaeological heritage through participatory models.This model promotes tourism development without disrupting the local social fabric, respecting the Andean worldview and involving the community as the main player. La Ruta del Valle Sagrado de los Incas - Luis Enrique Salinas PérezTokenization of mineral resources via blockchain: An innovative alternative is to leverage technology to give financial value to minerals without physically extracting them. How? Through blockchain tokenization. That is, creating digital assets backed by underground copper reserves. Pilot projects already exist using unmined gold: for example, the initiative of Alternun. It proposes using the land itself as the best vault to safeguard gold, issuingtokensdigital assets whose value is backed by that metal that remains underground. In other words, each token is backed by tangible, audited gold, providing transparency and building trust with investors. This demonstrates that a mountain can be worth more intact than destroyed. Following this line of thought, Mendoza could explore a scheme where the copper from San Jorge is geologically certified in situ and tokens representing its value are issued. Investors from anywhere in the world could buy and sell these tokens, providing liquidity and financing to the province without a single rock being blasted. This idea is already underway in places like Gibraltar with Roela, or in Ivory Coast with GoldFinX; and could position Mendoza as a pioneer in green financial innovation.Alternun.ioTaken together, these regenerative alternatives point to a development model qualitatively different to extractivism. They are based on producing wealth while caring for the source of wealth, that is, nature and culture. Where mega-mining divides and depletes, these proposals diversify and revalue what Mendoza already has: water, landscape, identity, and knowledge. Some will criticize that these routes take longer or do not generate as many immediate dollars as a mine; however, their benefits are sustainable over time and distributed socially.Mendoza can grow, yes, but it must grow intelligently, without mortgaging its soul for a short-term mirage. The real Mendoza's wealth is not underground, but at ground level and in its people; let us cultivate it.This isn't about "selling water," it's about contaminating it forever.Governor Cornejo has tried to downplay the criticism saying that his detractors exaggerate. He says that “water isn’t being sold” like Eco de los Andes and Villavicencio (Argentine mineral water brands). He says that “agriculture consumes infinitely more water” and criticizes families who waste this vital resource. However, we could argue that the Mendoza River is one of the best utilized rivers in the world: it supplies 1.5 million people, irrigates 250,000 hectares of crops, and contributes to 9,000 industries that make up the country's fourth largest regional economy (considering that it accounts for 70% of Argentina's wine production, with a flow rate of 33 cubic meters per second). Precisely because water is scarce in the semi-arid region, the inhabitants have had to find ways to meet their needs. Also their response is misleading, and reduces the problem to a falsehood. No one is accusing the government of filling tanker trucks and "selling" water to the highest bidder; what is being denounced is much more serious: the possible irreversible contamination of Mendoza's water supply.Governor Alfredo Cornejo - mendozaminería.comThe San Jorge Project plans to extract water from the El Tigre stream at a rate of 141 liters per second (approximately 12 million liters per day) for its processes. Although the mining company promises to reinject 90% in a “closed circuit,” in reality, any leak, seepage, or malpractice could release toxic substances into the environment. In fact, the Environmental Impact Statement itself acknowledged that risks would remain to be addressed later, including the dreaded acid rock drainage.Acid rock drainage it's the nightmare of metal mining: when sulfide rocks are exposed to air and water, they generate sulfuric acid that dissolves heavy metals. In other words, enormous waste rock dumps and tailings dams can become open-air poison factories. The resulting acidic water carries arsenic, lead, cadmium, copper, mercury, and other heavy metals present in the geology, contaminating streams, groundwater, and every connected waterway. Acid Rock Drainage- agroperu.peThe Independent technical reports warned that in San Jorge, the company submitted only four samples for risk analysis, when dozens should have been provided, and the connection between the mine area, the Yalguaraz aquifer, and the Mendoza River (the main source of drinking water and irrigation) remains unclear. This uncertainty is unacceptable. It means we don't know for sure where the contamination could spread if something goes wrong. And global experience indicates that something always goes wrong. There is no such thing as 100% accident-free copper mining, nor is there a foolproof method for containing millions of tons of reactive waste.The environmental and public health consequences of uncontrolled acid mine drainage would be catastrophic. The water's pH would drop, becoming acidic, with devastating impacts on aquatic ecosystems and soils: reddish-orange rivers, fish kills, and the disappearance of beneficial microorganisms that form the basis of the food chain. Dissolved heavy metals bioaccumulate in plants, farm animals, and eventually in humans who drink that water or consume that food. Arsenic can cause skin, bladder, and lung cancer; lead damages children's neurological development and raises blood pressure; cadmium affects the kidneys and bones, to name just a few effects.Mendoza: The water conflict reaches the courts -radiokermes.comWe are talking about chronic health risks that do not appear immediately, but over time affect entire communities with a higher incidence of serious diseases.And something crucial:There is no way to completely "decontaminate" a river or aquifer of heavy metals once it has become saturated.Fortunes can be spent on passive or active treatment plants for decades, but as soon as treatment stops, the source continues to generate acid. In fact, environmental experts point out that once acid mine drainage begins, it can last for centuries or millennia. In the words of the American hydrologist Bonnie Gestring “When these mines ‘use’ the water, they contaminate it forever.”Water, much more than a resource: a sacred heritageFor technocrats, water is often reduced to numbers in a water balance or an input for an industrial process. But in Mendoza (a semi-desert province where life depends on a few rivers and aquifers), water is much more than an economic resource. It is a cultural, symbolic, and spiritual asset, deeply rooted in the region's identity. Just talk to any resident of Uspallata to understand the value placed on pure water. Drinking tap water, fresh from the Andean springs, is a deeply cherished privilege. Not all communities can turn on the tap and drink without fear; in Uspallata, that is still possible thanks to the protection of its water sources. “Water is life” is not just a slogan, but an everyday reality.In the indigenous worldviews of Cuyo, inherited from the Huarpe and Andean peoples, water is seen as the lifeblood of Pachamama (Mother Earth). Rivers, lagoons, and eternal snows are the dwelling place of spirits and part of nature's sacred balance. Peasant and livestock-raising communities have also developed a spiritual understanding of water: they venerate it in folk songs, in legends passed down from grandparents to grandchildren, and in celebrations like the Blessing of the Waters that inaugurates the harvest. To take away their clean water is to take away part of their soul.Pachamama DayThat is why the defense of water in Mendoza has united people from all backgrounds in recent decades (from urban scientists to rural producers, including women's groups, churches and disparate political identities).The slogan“Mendoza’s water is not for sale” stems not only from environmental concern, but from a deep love for this vital element, almost a member of the Mendoza family. Every mountain stream, every irrigation canal, every community well has a value that money cannot measure. Therefore, when a project is proposed that could compromise that water, the reaction is not merely rational, it is visceral. It is the instinct for survival. This is not a matter of whim or ignorance of progress. Without water there is no wine, no agriculture, no tourism, no future. And, certainly, there is no way to recover water once it has lost its purity. Protecting it is an ethical and existential imperative.We still have time: the time to act is now.Global environmental history is riddled with tragedies: communities that only realized the disaster when it was too late to reverse it. ButMendoza still has time to avoid that fate. The legislative approval of the San Jorge Project was a major blow, but the mine has not yet begun operations. Every day that the machines don't break the rock is a day gained for reflection and citizen organizing.The window of opportunity to stop this project is brief and closing, but it exists. Here we can prevent the catastrophe before it happens. It's a unique case in today's world: stopping the pollution before it happens and not regretting it later, after. Chubut marches against extractivism -elextremosur.comI sympathize with the pursuit of prosperity, but this copper mine is a short-term gain that will lead to long-term problems. We can demonstrate that development doesn't have to come at the cost of destruction. Extractive industries that deprive us of water, landscape, health, and future are not true progress. Progress will come when we learn to use our resources without destroying them, when profits stay within our community, and the water continues to flow clean. True progress is not extractive; it is regenerative. And there is no 'buen vivir' without water to drink. 💧 Sources consulted: The Governor of Mendoza and the "Handover" of Water to Mining Companies: The Controversial Approval of the San Jorge Project - Military NetworkThe Governor of Mendoza and the "Handover" of Water to Mining Companies: The Controversial Approval of the San Jorge Project - Military NetworkRadical governor Alfredo Cornejo (UCR, re-elected in 2023) has been accused by environmentalists, popular assemblies and scientists of "handing over https://redcastrense.com.ar Megamining in Mendoza: Between the Palace and the Street, Extractivism or Water - Tierra Viva News AgencyMegamining in Mendoza: Between the Palace and the Street, Extractivism or Water - Tierra Viva News AgencyThe approval of the San Jorge Project enables the start of mega copper mining in Mendoza; the streets are crying out for the defense of water. https://agenciatierraviva.com.ar Tokenization of mining as a sustainable alternative https://sustentabilidadenacciones.com/la-tokenizacion-de-la-mineria-como-alternativa-sustentable/Tokenization of mining as a sustainable alternativeIs it possible to have a store of value in gold without extracting it from the earth? The Roela project proposes an innovative solution using blockchain and Web3 technology. https://sustentabilidadenacciones.com Despite the public outcry, the Mendoza Senate approved the San Jorge Project: alerts about the risk of contamination https://www.tiempoar.com.ar/ta_article/senado-mendocino-aprobo-proyecto-san-jorge-contaminacion/Despite the public outcry, the Mendoza Senate approved the San Jorge Project: alerts about the risk of contaminationWith 29 votes in favor, six against, and one abstention, the Mendoza Senate approved the Environmental Impact Statement for the San Jorge project, paving the way for mining investments in the province. Outside the building, a crowd expressed their opposition. https://www.tiempoar.com.ar Acid rock drainage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drenaje_%C3%A1cido_de_roca Government data shows mines will annually pollute up to 27 billion gallons of fresh water, forever - EarthworksGovernment data shows mines will annually pollute up to 27 billion gallons of fresh water, forever - EarthworksNew report shows treatment costs as much as $67 billion/year, with new mines polluting and costing billions more Washington D.C., May 1st - A new report released today shows existing U.S. hardrock mines (e.g. gold, copper, uranium) will pollute up to 27 billion gallons of fresh water per year, and cost as much as $67 billion per year to clean, in perpetuity. https://earthworks.orgMendoza defends its "Water Guardian" Law; Chubut marches against extractivism - The Far SouthThe community of Mendoza is once again taking to the streets to protect its resources from mining expansion. Assemblies are on high alert following a Supreme Court ruling that opens the door to the extractive lobby. "Our Law 7722 was deeply felt and born from our commitment." https://www.elextremosur.com Uspallata: When historical memory drives environmental defense - EcoNews | Beyond wordsThe stories of Uspallata are much more than romantic tales: for the people of Uspallata, they represent a vital force, memories of heroism that still inspire them to rise up and make their voices heard by the world. General José de San Martín traveled these same paths during his memorable campaign for independence. https://econews.global Linking Tourism & Conservation, National Park Tortuguero, Costa Rica | GRID-ArendalCosta Rica represents a most remarkable model for the linking of tourism and conservation. Costa Rica enjoys 5% of the world's biological diversity on less than 1% of the world's land area. Rapid deforestation in the 1970s led to a bold decision to set a goal of protecting 25% of the country's land over 10 years. https://www.grida.no https://www.munipisac.gob.pe/asociacion-ricchary-de-cuyo-chico-reconocido-por-el-mincetur-como-organizacion-de-base-comunitaria-en-turismo/#:~:text=Como%20se%20recuerda%2C%20el%20Turismo,con%20perspectiva%20territorial%20e%20intercultural

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