Curated Collections

Diamond and gold mining has been practiced by artisanal miners in the Central African Republic (CAR) for decades. The recent introduction of riverine dredges indicates a transition from artisanal/manual digging and sorting techniques to small-scale mining methods. This study implements a remote sensing analysis of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to map gold and diamond dredges operating on the Kadéï (Sangha) river in the CAR.

This project was a pilot study at building a basic database for ASM sites in Brazil and Indonesia. The aim was to combine field work with satellite imagery to build a database that would span spatial scales and times greater than possible through field work alone.

Resources on the use of remote sensing and satellite imagery in ASGM policy development, implementation and evaluation. These include a technical guidance document, a “quickstart” practioner’s guide, a compilation of examples where remote sensing has been used in ASGM, and a story map.

The authors present the value of remote sensing techniques to complement the knowledge on artisanal mining impacts, including for detection of illegal sites, the evaluation of the degradation of soils and waters, the deforestation and the monitoring of expansion of ASGM with time. While these techniques are relevant, they sometimes are blind  to gender issues, labor relations, mobility, migration, and insecurity.

This work provides an environmental analysis of policy enforcement that includes long-term monitoring of mining activity and recovery, with findings relevant to policymakers in Amazonian countries and around the world experiencing increases in alluvial gold mining.