Alvaro Cano
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Biography
Alvaro Cano is a multidisciplinary researcher and policy analyst specializing in water governance, mining policy, and public sector innovation. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Geography at UCSB, where he also serves as a Teaching Assistant in Environmental Hydrology under the mentorship of Prof. Hugo Loaiciga. His academic foundation includes degrees from UCLA (B.A. Political Science), Oxford (M.Sc. Latin American Studies), UBC (M.A.Sc. Mining Engineering), and a Public Policy Analysis certificate from LSE. Alvaro has held senior research roles in the British Columbia Government, where he led the development of provincial policing standards and training requirements for police services at the Ministry of Public Safety. He has consulted for USAID, UNITAR, 2030 Water Resources Group, the Global Water Partnership and UNEP on water policy, artisanal mining formalization and mercury reduction strategies, including policy design and field coordination in Peru and Mongolia. As Lead Policy Developer for Peru’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, he directed the creation of a national cross-sectoral policy for artisanal mining, aligning it with national planning frameworks. Since 2014, he has been an affiliated researcher at Universidad del Pacífico’s (UP) Center for Mining and Sustainability Studies (CEMS), contributing to research on several mine-related topics.
Research
Dissertation Title: Navigating the Science–Policy Interface in Drought Governance: Hydrologic Knowledge and Institutional Dynamics of Water Restrictions in the Columbia River Basin.
Background: The Government of British Columbia faces major challenges in managing the Columbia River watershed due to substantial gaps in tracking surface water and groundwater use, consumption volumes and water-sources identification, which hamper its ability to manage water sustainably. Although government-granted licenses set maximum extraction limits, the province does not track actual consumption or sources, leaving gaps in oversight across domestic and commercial sectors like agriculture, mining, and forestry. Emergency drought responses—such as Temporary Protection Orders (TPOs), suspending water rights or enforcing more robust reporting obligations on water rights’ holders—are hindered by this data deficiency. Experts warn that without transparent measurement, public trust and democratic accountability are at serious risk.
Objectives (ROs): 1. Describe the role of hydrologic data in policy design, collecting and analyzing hydrologic datasets (e.g., USGS, NOAA), detecting thresholds, and review drought-related policies to identify the use of scientific references. 2. Evaluate and analyze the extent to which watershed-scale hydrologic models (e.g., SWAT, VIC, DHSVM) inform water restrictions.
Methodology: calibrate, validate and test basin-specific hydrologic models (SWAT, VIC, DHSVM) currently being used by the BC Government, and compare the model’s predictions with actual policy responses to assess predictive utility and gaps. Use GIS and satellite data to spatially link drought-afflicted areas, impacts and response policies. Describe and assess the political and institutional uptake of scientific evidence at the local, provincial and federal governmental levels.
Publications
Forthcoming: (2026) - Formal Large-scale Mining and Informal Mining in Peru: between the “Great Threat” and Sustainable Mining Development. In J. Crabtree; Delgado, G. (Eds.), Mining and the Peruvian State: Social and Environmental Sustainability. Routledge.
2022 – Formal Large-Scale Mining (LSM) and informal Artisanal-Scale Mining (ASM) in Peru: Exploring the interface. Resources Policy, Volume 76, June 2022, 102530. Downloadable at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301420721005377
2021 – The Formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining in the Peruvian Amazon (2001-2021): lessons learned and proposals for the future. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Proyecto Prevenir. Downloadable at: https://preveniramazonia.pe/wp-content/uploads/Formalizacio%CC%81n-de-lamineri%CC%81a-artesanal-y-de-pequen%CC%83a-escala-en-la-Amazoni%CC%81a-peruana.pdf
2020 – The formal Large-Scale Mining (LSM) – informal Artisanal-Scale Mining (ASM) interface in Peru: exploring a policy “bottleneck” through Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). Thesis, Master of Applied Science, Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia. Downloadable at: https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0390323
2018 - Qualitative diagnosis of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs in Chinese copper mining projects: exploring Gender Equality and Local Economic Development in Toromocho and Las Bambas. Global Affairs Canada (GAC), International Development Research Center (IDRC), Consortium for Economic and Social Research (CIES). Lima.
2017 - Small-Scale Curse or Possibility for Inclusive Development? Comparing the politics of artisanal mining public policy in Peru and Chile. Paper presented at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) meeting in Lima, Peru. Center for Mining and Sustainability Studies (CEMS), Universidad del Pacífico (UP). Lima.
2017 - Formal, informal and illegal: water rights in artisanal and small-scale mining contexts (Peru). In: Countercurrent: Water and Conflict in Latin America. Abya Yala & Water Justice. University of Wageningen, the Netherlands.
2014 – “Top-Down” or “Bottom-up”? Social Participation, Agriculture and Mining in the Integrated Management of the Chancay - Lambayeque watershed. In: Apuntes 73: Revista de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad del Pacífico (UP). Lima.
2013 - Water Governance in the Chancay-Lambayeque Watershed: From the Agrarian Reform to the Integrated Water Resources Management framework (1969-2012). In: Revista Geográfica N ° 153, Pan-American Institute of Geography and History (IPGH) at the Organization of American States (OAS). Mexico City.
