Resources

Six reasons why COVID-19 response planning should prioritise ASM communities

Adam Rolfe & Estelle Levin-Nally, with contributions from Holger Grundel 2020 English

As the world’s priorities are reshaped by the COVID-19 crisis, Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) communities should not be overlooked.

Mercury emissions from Peruvian gold shops: Potential ramifications for Minamata compliance in artisanal and small-scale gold mining communities

Keegan H. Moody; Kazi M. Hasan; Sumeja Aljic; Victoria M. Blakeman; L. Perry Hicks; Danielle C. Loving; Matthew E. Moore; B. Spencer Hammett; Mónica Silva-González; Caryn S. Seney; and Adam M. Kiefer 2019 English

Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury has led to the establishment of Peruvian regulations limiting mercury concentrations in air to 2000 ng/m3 over a 24-hr measurement period. As a result, three communities in Madre de Dios, Peru were mapped during October 2017 to determine Hg⁰ vapor concentrations in the air.

Addressing Forced Labor in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) A Practitioner’s Toolkit

Alliance for Responsible Mining 2014 English

Managing the risk of forced labor in ASM is complex. Strategies to tackle it must address the double objective of eradicating forced labor and making sure that innocent people who rely on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining for their livelihoods are not excluded from mineral supply chains. ASM is a poverty-alleviating activity that directly and indirectly employs hundreds of millions of people around the world; excluding ASM from mineral supply chains could have a terrible impact on their livelihoods. The aim of this toolkit is to provide a handson approach that will help organizations, companies and government institutions to cooperate with artisanal miners rather than exclude them.

USAID: Sector Environmental Guideline (SEG): ASM

Battelle and The Cadmus Group, Inc. USAID 2017 English

These guidelines are designed for project managers, project implementers, practitioners, or others working on development or environmental management projects that could impact ASM projects or communities that engage in ASM.  This document addresses: (1) impact of development projects on ASM; (2) impacts of ASM on the environment, health, and socio-political systems; (3) best practices on mitigation measures for minimizing impacts of ASM; (4) impact of climate change on ASM; and (5) impact of ASM on climate change. 

Thoughts on How to do Gender Inclusion Right in ASM.

Olivia Lyster 2020 English

Women play a critical role in the ASM sector. Women were estimated in 2003 to make up 30% of the ASM workforce globally. Today it may be much higher – estimates from some countries reach 50% on average, and higher in some mineral categories (e.g. salt mining in Uganda). Despite this, women experience a number of gendered barriers to full participation in ASM. 

Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) and COVID-19: Responding to the pandemic

Alec Crawford, Olivia Lyster, Adam Rolfe 2020 English

This brief outlines some of the main challenges to ASM sector support and regulation in the context of the global pandemic and points tentatively to how governments can move forward with effective ASM sector management in the coming months.

Artisanal Gold Communities as Prime COVID-19 Intervention Targets: Supply Chain Reform, Health In Gold Out

Shawn Blore, Marieke Kroll, Kevin Telmer 2020 English

In this paper, the AGC announces its three signal interventions for dealing with the crisis in ASGM communities brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic: (i) Supply Chain Reform Project – a project to restart and reform artisanal gold supply chains; (ii) Health In Gold Out – a project to deliver health assistance via this gold stakeholder network; and (iii) Artisanal Gold Prices Database – a project to monitor these interventions via a worldwide database of artisanal gold prices.

Using Performance Indicators to Evaluate an Environmental Education Program in Artisanal Gold Mining Communities in the Brazilian Amazon

Rodolfo N. Sousa and Marcello M. Veiga 2009 English

The Tapajos River Basin in the Brazilian Amazon is the location of one of the largest concentrations of artisanal and small-scale miners in the world. A group of educators provided support to miners, training 4200 people in 141 mining locations. The effectiveness of this training was evaluated based on 20 performance indicators. After 120 days of training, an absolute improvement of approximately 29% had been achieved.

COVID-19 & ASM: Illicit Traders Cashing In on Vulnerable Miners in Conflict-Prone Areas

Alan Martin, Sechaba Consulting and Joanne Lebert, IMPACT’s Executive Director 2020 English

As COVID-19 sweeps the globe, risking the health and lives of millions, it is clear the pandemic is also causing economic havoc.

A Call to Action: Mitigating Impacts of COVID-19 on Artisanal Gold Mining Communities

Artisanal Gold Council 2020 English