In the Amazon basin, most government authorities do not have standardized, proven and reliable protocols which would allow them to do economic evaluations of the environmental and social impacts caused by artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). With support from USAID, Conservation Strategy Fund (CSF) will adapt the Illegal Gold Mining Impact Calculator, an economic valuation tool for environmental and social damages that will improve governments' ability to estimate the monetary impact of ASM.
HOW DOES THE ACTIVITY WORK?
The Illegal Gold Mining Impact Calculator Tool will be adapted to the contexts of Guyana and Suriname, and will continue the process of formal adoption and implementation in Ecuador. The main activities include:
- Implementation of an economic valuation methodology for Guyana and Suriname on the impacts of ASM on forests (deforestation), rivers (sedimentation) and human health (mercury contamination).
- Identification of beneficiaries and/or users of the tool in Guyana and Suriname.
- Training of national and subnational government officials, local authorities, civil society organizations and indigenous peoples of Ecuador, Guyana, and Suriname.
EXPECTED RESULTS
- Formal use of the tool by competent authorities and actors will enable them to reliably assess the scale and impacts of ASM damage.
- Improve decision-making for the design of policies, strategies and budgets to address ASM in the Amazon Basin.
- Establish adequate administrative sanctions and monetary fines on the impacts caused by ASM on the environment and people's health, based on scientific and updated evidence.
- Discourage the use of mercury in gold mining and promote the use of clean technologies.
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