Editing Economy of Bolivia (section)

====Mining====
{{main | Mining in Bolivia}}
[[File:Bolivia Resource Map.png|thumbnail|"Map of Bolivia, Showing Forest and Agriculture Areas, and Mineral Localities" from 1912]]
[[File:Cerro_ricco.jpg|left|thumb|[[Cerro Rico]] in [[Potosí Department|Potosi]], still a major silver mine. Bolivia is the world's 8th largest producer of [[silver]].]]
In 2019, the country was the 8th largest world producer of [[silver]];<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-silver.pdf USGS Silver Production Statistics]</ref> 4th largest world producer of [[boron]];<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-boron.pdf USGS Boron Production Statistics]</ref> 5th largest world producer of [[antimony]];<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-antimony.pdf USGS Antimony Production Statistics]</ref> 5th largest world producer of [[tin]];<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-tin.pdf USGS Tin Production Statistics]</ref> 6th largest world producer of [[tungsten]];<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-tungsten.pdf USGS Tungsten Production Statistics]</ref> 7th largest producer of [[zinc]],<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-zinc.pdf USGS ZincProduction Statistics]</ref> and the 8th largest producer of [[lead]].<ref>[https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2021/mcs2021-lead.pdf USGS Lead Production Statistics]</ref>

Mining continues to be vital to Bolivia's economy.<ref name="loc" /> The collapse of the world tin market in the 1980s led to a restructuring of the industry.<ref name="loc" /> The state dramatically reduced its control and presently operates only a small portion of mining activities.<ref name="loc" /> Small-scale operations, often with low productivity, employ many former state miners.<ref name="loc" /> Natural gas has supplanted [[tin]] and silver as the country's most valuable natural commodity.<ref name="loc" /> A discovery in 1997 confirmed a tenfold gain in Bolivia's known natural gas reserves.<ref name="loc" /> Finding markets to utilize this resource, both domestically and internationally, has been slowed by a lack of infrastructure and conflicts over the state's role in controlling natural resources.<ref name="loc" /> Although the world tin market has re-emerged, Bolivia now faces stiff competition from Southeast Asian countries producing lower-cost alluvial tin.<ref name="loc" /> Gold and silver production has increased dramatically over the past decade.<ref name="loc" /> Annually, as of 2002 Bolivia extracted and exported more than 11,000 kilograms of gold and 461 tons of silver.<ref name="loc" /> Additionally, Bolivia has increased zinc production, extracting more than 100,000 tons each year.<ref name="loc" /> Other metals excavated include [[antimony]], iron, and [[tungsten]].<ref name="loc" />
[[File:Lithium mine at Bolivia´s Uyuni Salt Flat, on a CBERS4 MUX yesterday´s image.jpg|thumb|Lithium mine in the [[Salar de Uyuni]]]]
Most of Bolivia's gas comes from megafields located in San Alberto, San Antonio, Margarita, and Incahuasi.<ref name="Gustafson 2020 p6">{{Cite book |last=Gustafson |first=Bret |title=Bolivia in the Age of Gas |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2020 |isbn=9781478010999 |pages=6}}</ref> These areas are in the territory of the indigenous [[Guaraní people|Guarani]] people, and the region is frequently viewed as a remote backwater by non-residents.<ref name="Gustafson 2020 p6" />

=====Lithium=====
{{Main|Lithium mining in Bolivia}}
According to the [[United States Geological Survey]], Bolivia has 9 million tons of [[lithium]],<ref name="Jaskula-2019">{{Cite journal|last=Jaskula|first=Brian W.|date=February 2019|title=Lithium|url=https://prd-wret.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/atoms/files/mcs-2019-lithi.pdf|journal=Mineral Commodity Summaries|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey|U.S. Geological Survey]]|pages=98|access-date=13 November 2019|archive-date=18 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118000126/https://prd-wret.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/atoms/files/mcs-2019-lithi.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> which can be used to make [[lithium-ion battery|lithium batteries]], used in hybrid and electric vehicles in addition to huge numbers of smaller batteries.<ref name="Seattle Times 2009-02-03">{{cite web |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/bolivia-the-saudi-arabia-of-lithium/ |title=Bolivia: The Saudi Arabia of lithium? |newspaper=Seattle Times |agency=The New York Times|date=3 February 2009|first=Simon|last=Romero|access-date= 29 September 2017}}</ref> At 14.5%, this is the second-largest known concentration of lithium in any country; Argentina has 14.8&nbsp;million known tons of lithium, Chile has 8.5&nbsp;million tons, Australia has 7.7&nbsp;million tons, and the United States has 6.8&nbsp;million tons.<ref name="Jaskula-2019" /> These large deposits are located in desert regions farmed by indigenous groups, who claim their share of the profits made from their natural resources.<ref name="Seattle Times 2009-02-03" /> Bolivian President Evo Morales favored national, rather than foreign, ownership of natural resources, and nationalized the country's oil and natural gas reserves.<ref name="Seattle Times 2009-02-03" />

Mining the mineral deposits would involve disturbing the country's salt flats (called [[Salar de Uyuni]]), an important natural feature which boosts tourism in the region. The government does not want to destroy this unique natural landscape to meet the rising world demand for lithium.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7607624.stm | publisher=BBC News | title=Bolivia's lithium mining dilemma | date=10 September 2008}}</ref>

In January 2013 Bolivia opened a lithium production plant in Uyuni, producing mainly potassium chloride.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2013/01/07/bolivia-the-saudi-arabia-of-lithium/|title=Bolivia: the Saudi Arabia of lithium?|work=Financial Times|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/05/pictures/130501-bolivia-lithium-reserves-pictures/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505104914/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/05/pictures/130501-bolivia-lithium-reserves-pictures/|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2013|title=Pictures: Bolivia Seeks Economic Energy in Vast Lithium Stores|author=Photograph Sergio Goya, DPA/Corbis|access-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> Also, the Bolivian government signed intentions to develop not only lithium extraction but also lithium-ion battery production with numerous countries, especially from the [[Asia Pacific region]].

In 2019, Bolivia had signed a deal with German firm ACISA to develop a joint partnership with the Bolivian state-owned YLB for developing extraction and processing of lithium at [[Salar de Uyuni]]. The deal was later cancelled after long-running protests by locals over the perceived lack of local benefits and royalties of the project.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bolivia scraps joint lithium project with German company {{!}} DW {{!}} 04.11.2019|url=https://www.dw.com/en/bolivia-scraps-joint-lithium-project-with-german-company/a-51100873|access-date=2021-05-17|publisher=Deutsche Welle|language=en-GB}}</ref> Bolivia's state lithium YLB also created a joint venture together with the Chinese Xinjiang TBEA Group to explore extraction of lithium and other materials from the Coipasa and Pastos Grandes salt flats.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ramos|first=Daniel|date=2019-02-06|title=Bolivia picks Chinese partner for $2.3 billion lithium projects|language=en|publisher=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bolivia-lithium-china-idUSKCN1PV2F7|access-date=2021-05-17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bolivia: will the ousting of Morales open lithium to foreign investment?|url=https://www.mining-technology.com/features/bolivia-will-the-ousting-of-morales-open-lithium-to-foreign-investment/|access-date=2021-05-17|website=mining-technology.com|date=2 March 2020 |language=en-GB}}</ref>
It is thought that due to the importance of lithium for batteries for [[electric vehicle]]s and stabilization of electric grids with large proportions of intermittent [[Renewable energy|renewables]] in the electricity mix, Bolivia could be strengthened geopolitically. However, this perspective has also been criticized for underestimating the power of economic incentives for expanded production in other parts of the world.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Overland |first=Indra |date=1 March 2019 |title=The geopolitics of renewable energy: Debunking four emerging myths |journal=Energy Research & Social Science |volume=49 |pages=36–40 |doi=10.1016/j.erss.2018.10.018 |issn=2214-6296 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2019ERSS...49...36O }}</ref>