POLICY ON HEAVY SAND MINING IN VARELA

HOW DID THE SOCIAL ACTORS COORDINATE?

Abstract

The exploitation of heavy sand in the Varela region is one of the major concerns of the local community and Guinean civil society. Firstly, due to the way this process began without the knowledge of community actors. Secondly, because of how the process has been affecting local communities, with water shortages caused by the salinity of well water and freshwater rivers, as well as soil degradation and environmental pollution. Based on this social concern, the study sought to understand the coordination of the actors involved in the process and to explore the controversies surrounding it. To this end, we adopted qualitative research, conducting bibliographic and documentary surveys, as well as consulting links from news agencies to delve deeper into the subject through exploratory research. We also adopted a case study approach to understand the sociocultural and political phenomena surrounding the process. Throughout the research, we identified various actors, such as media organizations, civil society, Traditional Authorities, environmentalists, the company, and the government. However, we concluded that there was no alignment among the actors toward the same objectives, as environmentalists and local communities demanded an end to the exploitation, while the government and the company considered the exploitation viable.