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Dossou Etui IM, Stylo M, Davis K, Evers DC, Slaveykova VI, Wood C, Burton MEH. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining and biodiversity: a global literature review. ECOTOXICOLOGY (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2024; 33:484-504. [PMID: 38713425 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-024-02748-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is crucial to the livelihoods of close to 20 million people in over 80 countries, including 4-5 million women, mainly in rural areas with limited alternative economic prospects, particularly in developing countries. ASGM is largely informal, which can add to the challenge of addressing negative social and environmental effects including impacts on biodiversity. However, with proper guidance, ASGM can operate in a responsible manner, using cleaner production methods that minimize impacts on human health and the environment. This study presents and analyzes the interactions between ASGM and biodiversity based on new findings from 27 ASGM National Action Plans (NAPs) developed within the framework of Article 7 and Annex C of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, as well as a global literature review of more than 100 publications. In terms of key findings according to the literature reviewed, alongside other human occupation such as agriculture and industrial activities, ASGM also has an impact on the environment and biodiversity. The interrelationship between ASGM and biodiversity, including protected areas, is pervasive at every stage of ASGM operations, from extraction to mine closure, and generates significant impacts on the surrounding ecosystems. These impacts include, in descending order of most reported impacts: deforestation, soil degradation, chemical contamination of aquatic and terrestrial systems, and changes to the turbidity of watercourses. Tropical regions and key species such as amphibians and freshwater fish are among the most affected. Singly or combined, these environmental stressors lead to loss or deterioration of habitat and, by extension, indigenous biodiversity and ecosystem services. In addition, legal, institutional, and regulatory frameworks and related measures, inadequate or non-existent in some cases, may not necessarily support sustainable practices, often resulting in exploited sites abandoned without remediation, reclamation, rehabilitation, or restoration measures. To mitigate such impacts a key recommendation arising from the literature review is to strengthen the integration of the interrelationship between ASGM and biodiversity in the implementation of existing relevant national strategies, including those developed under the NAPs. The global literature review also highlights the importance of a multi-stakeholder, systemic approach combining the use of geospatial analysis, scientific and local knowledge, as well as the adaptation of the relevant frameworks, capacity building, and awareness raising. This approach can inform decision making with a view to developing sustainable initiatives that prevent and reduce the impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining on ecosystems, and that preserve biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imelda M Dossou Etui
- United Nations Environment Programme, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix CH-1211, Geneva, 10, Switzerland.
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Earth and Environment Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology, 66 Blvd Carl-Vogt, CH 1211, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Malgorzata Stylo
- United Nations Environment Programme, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix CH-1211, Geneva, 10, Switzerland
| | - Kenneth Davis
- United Nations Environment Programme, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix CH-1211, Geneva, 10, Switzerland
| | - David C Evers
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA.
| | - Vera I Slaveykova
- University of Geneva, Faculty of Sciences, Earth and Environment Sciences, Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, Environmental Biogeochemistry and Ecotoxicology, 66 Blvd Carl-Vogt, CH 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Wood
- United Nations Environment Programme, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix CH-1211, Geneva, 10, Switzerland
| | - Mark E H Burton
- Biodiversity Research Institute, 276 Canco Road, Portland, ME, 04103, USA
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Abdelaal A, Sultan M, Abotalib AZ, Bedair M, Krishnamurthy RV, Elhebiry M. Emerging mercury and methylmercury contamination from new artisanal and small-scale gold mining along the Nile Valley, Egypt. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:52514-52534. [PMID: 36829096 PMCID: PMC10119075 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25895-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The past decade witnessed the initiation and boom of the Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) activities in the hyper-arid southern Egypt. The ores are mined in the Eastern Desert and then transported to the densely populated farming communities in the Nile Valley, where the river provides the water resources needed for ore processing. In search for economic benefits, the poorly educated farmers with limited technical resources transformed their cultivated lands into ASGM operations, exposing themselves, their families, the residents, and the Nile ecosystems to several environmental and occupational health problems. Using integrated remote sensing, field, geochemical, and isotopic analyses, we report the first inventory of ASGM-related total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) levels in tailings, amalgamation-tailing ponds, and surface and groundwater with emphasis on the Edfu city and its surroundings. The field and remote sensing-based mapping of ASGM activities reveals clustering around the Nile waterways and suggests interaction of Hg contamination sources with their surrounding receptors. Common ASGM practices include release of contaminated water from unlined amalgamation-tailing ponds into irrigation and drainage canals, and spreading of tailings over cultivated soils. In a short period (10 years), the released Hg contaminated multiple media, including the surface water, the shallow and deep aquifers, and possibly the soil, crops, and livestock. THg levels in amalgamation-tailing ponds (1200-8470 ng/L) are fourfold higher than US EPA and eightfold the WHO thresholds. The contaminated waters released from amalgamation-tailing ponds raised THg levels in surface water (irrigation canals: 50-100 ng/L; drainage canals: THg: > 200 ng/L) and groundwater (shallow and deep aquifers: 80-500 ng/L). Our findings highlight the need to extend the adopted approach to cover the entire length of the Nile River and its valley and the importance of conducting awareness campaigns to educate residents and health care providers about potential ASGM-related environmental and health hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Abdelaal
- Environmental Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, Port Said University, Port Said, 42526, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Sultan
- Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences Remote Sensing (ESRS) Facility, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA.
| | - Abotalib Z Abotalib
- Department of Geology, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences, Cairo, 1564, Egypt
- Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - R V Krishnamurthy
- Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences Remote Sensing (ESRS) Facility, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA
| | - Mohamed Elhebiry
- Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Earth Sciences Remote Sensing (ESRS) Facility, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, 49008, USA
- Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt
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Mancini AN, Chandrashekar A, Lahitsara JP, Ogbeta DG, Rajaonarivelo JA, Ranaivorazo NR, Rasoazanakolona J, Safwat M, Solo J, Razafindraibe JG, Razafindrakoto G, Baden AL. Terrain Ruggedness and Canopy Height Predict Short-Range Dispersal in the Critically Endangered Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:746. [PMID: 36981017 PMCID: PMC10048730 DOI: 10.3390/genes14030746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Dispersal is a fundamental aspect of primates' lives and influences both population and community structuring, as well as species evolution. Primates disperse within an environmental context, where both local and intervening environmental factors affect all phases of dispersal. To date, research has primarily focused on how the intervening landscape influences primate dispersal, with few assessing the effects of local habitat characteristics. Here, we use a landscape genetics approach to examine between- and within-site environmental drivers of short-range black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) dispersal in the Ranomafana region of southeastern Madagascar. We identified the most influential drivers of short-range ruffed lemur dispersal as being between-site terrain ruggedness and canopy height, more so than any within-site habitat characteristic evaluated. Our results suggest that ruffed lemurs disperse through the least rugged terrain that enables them to remain within their preferred tall-canopied forest habitat. Furthermore, we noted a scale-dependent environmental effect when comparing our results to earlier landscape characteristics identified as driving long-range ruffed lemur dispersal. We found that forest structure drives short-range dispersal events, whereas forest presence facilitates long-range dispersal and multigenerational gene flow. Together, our findings highlight the importance of retaining high-quality forests and forest continuity to facilitate dispersal and maintain functional connectivity in ruffed lemurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N. Mancini
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Aparna Chandrashekar
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10065, USA
| | | | - Daisy Gold Ogbeta
- Department of Nursing, Helene Fuld College of Nursing, New York, NY 10035, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Jeanne Arline Rajaonarivelo
- UMI 233 TransVIHMI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), University of Montpellier, Inserm U 1175, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | | | - Joseane Rasoazanakolona
- Department of Zoology and Animal Biodiversity, Faculty of Science, University of Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
| | - Mayar Safwat
- Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Justin Solo
- Centre ValBio Research Center, Ranomafana, Ifanadiana 312, Madagascar (J.G.R.)
| | | | | | - Andrea L. Baden
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, NY 10065, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College, New York, NY 10065, USA
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Brias‐Guinart A, Korhonen‐Kurki K, Cabeza M. Typifying conservation practitioners' views on the role of education. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13893. [PMID: 35083803 PMCID: PMC9543612 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Education is an established tool to enhance human-environment relationships, despite the lack of empirical evidence to support its use. We used theories of change to unpack assumptions about the role of education in conservation. We interviewed practitioners from 15 conservation organizations in Madagascar to typify implicit pathways of change and assess whether emerging pathways echo theoretical advances. Five pathways were drivers of change: increasing knowledge, changing emotional connection and changing traditional cultural practices, fostering leaders, diversifying outcomes, and influencing community and society. These pathways reflect existing sociopsychological theories on learning and behavioral change. Most interviewees' organizations had a predominant pathway that was often combined with elements from other pathways. Most pathways lacked culturally grounded approaches. Our research reveals assumptions about the role of education in conservation and indicates that organizations had different ideas of how change happens. The diversity of practices reflects the complexity of factors that influence behavior. Whether this diversity is driven by local sociocultural context, interaction with other conservation approaches, or contingencies remains unclear. Yet, typifying the pathways of change and reflecting on them is the first step towards comprehensive evaluation of when and which pathways and interactions to promote.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina Brias‐Guinart
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | | | - Mar Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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Barenblitt A, Payton A, Lagomasino D, Fatoyinbo L, Asare K, Aidoo K, Pigott H, Som CK, Smeets L, Seidu O, Wood D. The large footprint of small-scale artisanal gold mining in Ghana. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 781:146644. [PMID: 33812105 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Gold mining has played a significant role in Ghana's economy for centuries. Regulation of this industry has varied over time and while industrial mining is prevalent in the country, the expansion of artisanal mining, or Galamsey has escalated in recent years. Many of these artisanal mines are not only harmful to human health due to the use of Mercury (Hg) in the amalgamation process, but also leave a significant footprint on terrestrial ecosystems, degrading and destroying forested ecosystems in the region. In this study, the Landsat image archive available through Google Earth Engine was used to quantify the total footprint of vegetation loss due to artisanal gold mines in Ghana from 2005 to 2019 and understand how conversion of forested regions to mining has changed over a decadal period from 2007 to 2017. A combination of machine learning and change detection algorithms were used to calculate different land cover conversions and the timing of conversion annually. Within the study area of southwestern Ghana, our results indicate that approximately 47,000 ha (⨦2218 ha) of vegetation were converted to mining at an average rate of ~2600 ha yr-1. The results indicate that a high percentage (~50%) of this mining occurred between 2014 and 2017. Around 700 ha of this mining occurred within protected areas as mapped by the World Database of Protected Areas. In addition to deforestation, increased artisanal mining activity in recent years has the potential to affect human health, access to drinking water resources and food security. This work expands upon limited research into the spatial footprint of Galamsey in Ghana, complements mapping efforts by local geographers, and will support efforts by the government of Ghana to monitor deforestation caused by artisanal mining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Barenblitt
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States.
| | - Amanda Payton
- Department of Coastal Studies, East Carolina University, Wanchese, NC, United States
| | - David Lagomasino
- Department of Coastal Studies, East Carolina University, Wanchese, NC, United States
| | - Lola Fatoyinbo
- Biospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, United States
| | - Kofi Asare
- Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute, Accra, Ghana
| | - Kenneth Aidoo
- Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute, Accra, Ghana
| | | | | | | | | | - Danielle Wood
- Space Enabled Research Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
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Rocha R, Fernández-Llamazares Á, López-Baucells A, Andriamitandrina SFM, Andriatafika ZE, Temba EM, Torrent L, Burgas D, Cabeza M. Human-Bat Interactions in Rural Southwestern Madagascar through a Biocultural Lens. J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.1.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Rocha
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Adrià López-Baucells
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Santatra F. M. Andriamitandrina
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Zo Emmanuel Andriatafika
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eric Marcel Temba
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Laura Torrent
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Daniel Burgas
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mar Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
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Eklund J, Coad L, Geldmann J, Cabeza M. What constitutes a useful measure of protected area effectiveness? A case study of management inputs and protected area impacts in Madagascar. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Eklund
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
| | - Lauren Coad
- Centre for International Forestry Research Bogor‐Barat Indonesia
| | - Jonas Geldmann
- Conservation Science Group, Department of Zoology University of Cambridge Cambridge UK
| | - Mar Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
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