extrativismo

Extrativismo, or extractivism, is an economic and political paradigm focused on the large-scale extraction of natural resources for export, with limited domestic processing. It covers activities such as mining, oil and gas, logging, fishing, and harvesting non-timber forest products. In several Latin American and Caribbean countries, extractivism has been a central development model, rooted in colonial patterns of resource extraction and often sustained by state and private concessions to foreign and national firms.

Key characteristics include reliance on commodity exports, volatility from price cycles, and relatively low value-added within the domestic economy. Revenues from resource extraction can be substantial in the short term but may fail to translate into broad-based development if governance is weak, diversification is limited, or rents are captured by outsiders or elites. Environmental and social impacts are central concerns, including deforestation, pollution, displacement of communities, and conflicts with Indigenous peoples and other local groups.

Scholars debate extractivism as a motor of growth versus a trap of dependence. Critics argue that it reinforces dependency and inequality, undermines long-term development, and conditions public policy on commodity cycles. Proponents view resource rents as a potential source for social programs and infrastructure if managed transparently and equitably.

Policy responses include governance reforms to diversify economies, invest rents in human development and public goods, establish environmental and social safeguards, recognize community rights to resources, and promote value-added processing and sustainable extraction. Notable examples in the region include extractive reserves in Brazil, such as the Chico Mendes Reserve, which combine rainforest protection with subsistence and income for local communities.