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Resolving artisanal and small-scale mining challenges: Moving from conflict to cooperation for sustainability in mine planning

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  • Zvarivadza, T.
  • Nhleko, A.S.

Abstract

Despite the considerable challenges posed by artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), it remains part of our lives. Conflict between ASM miners as well with large-scale mining companies, civil strife, social unrest, and corruption to mention a few problems are the order of the day in ASM. Environmental damage and possible contribution to economic meltdown are a cause for concern. The main thrust of this paper is to discuss the challenges posed by ASM across the whole spectrum of political, social, economic, and environmental and health and safety issues. The paper also proposes some proactive and realistic approaches to resolve the challenges discussed in order to move from conflict to sustainability in mine planning. ASM is characterized by relatively uneducated and unregistered miners, and policies targeting ASM miners should be disseminated in a comprehensible manner lest such policies remain in our dreams and the policy books. Since it is the government that funds clean-up of the mess from ASM, one of the best ways to avoid this expenditure is developing cooperative approaches through different governmental instruments, persuading the ASM miners to mine responsibly. The contribution of ASM to unemployment reduction cannot be ignored, but being mainly an informal sector, it is very difficult to quantify its contribution to economic development. Capturing meaningful rent from these miners may also remain a dream if non-consultative policies are imposed on this sector. Tracing the miners can be a nightmare when reactive approaches are implemented. Large-scale mining companies, government, and civil society at large have to adopt a cooperative approach to devise sustainable, workable, and realistic ways to convert ASM miners into contributors to sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Zvarivadza, T. & Nhleko, A.S., 2018. "Resolving artisanal and small-scale mining challenges: Moving from conflict to cooperation for sustainability in mine planning," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 78-86.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:56:y:2018:i:c:p:78-86
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2017.12.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Oecd, 2013. "Knowledge Networks and Markets," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers 7, OECD Publishing.
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    Cited by:

    1. Banda, Webby, 2023. "A proposed DEMATEL based framework for appraising challenges in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. Osei, Lydia & Yeboah, Thomas & Kumi, Emmanuel & Antoh, Ernestina Fredua, 2021. "Government's ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, youth livelihoods and imagined futures in Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Bansah, K.J., 2019. "From diurnal to nocturnal: Surviving in a chaotic artisanal and small-scale mining sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    4. Lara-Rodríguez, Juan Sebastián, 2021. "How institutions foster the informal side of the economy: Gold and platinum mining in Chocó, Colombia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. Kumah, Richard, 2022. "Artisanal and small-scale mining formalization challenges in Ghana: Explaining grassroots perspectives," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Poignant, Adrian, 2023. "Small-scale mining and agriculture: Evidence from northwestern Tanzania," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    7. Shitima, Christina & Suykens, Bert, 2023. "Formalization of sand mining in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    8. Bryan Salgado-Almeida & Daniel A. Falquez-Torres & Paola L. Romero-Crespo & Priscila E. Valverde-Armas & Fredy Guzmán-Martínez & Samantha Jiménez-Oyola, 2022. "Risk Assessment of Mining Environmental Liabilities for Their Categorization and Prioritization in Gold-Mining Areas of Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-17, May.
    9. Rodriguez, Luz A. & Velez, María Alejandra & Pfaff, Alexander, 2021. "Leaders’ distributional & efficiency effects in collective responses to policy: Lab-in-field experiments with small-scale gold miners in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    10. Fernando Morante-Carballo & Néstor Montalván-Burbano & Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar & Paúl Carrión-Mero, 2022. "A Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Research on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-29, July.
    11. Junior, Carlos de Matos Bandeira & Carvalho, Luciana Gonçalves de, 2023. "Transformations in artisanal and small-scale gold mining work and production structures in the tapajós region of Brazil's amazon," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    12. Juan Sebastián Lara‐Rodríguez & Morgane M. C. Fritz, 2023. "How does eliminating mercury from artisanal and small‐scale gold mining lead to achieving sustainable development goals?," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 47(2), pages 214-228, May.
    13. Ruth Zárate Rueda & Yolima Ivonne Beltrán Villamizar & Luis Eduardo Becerra Ardila, 2023. "Neo-Extractivism and Formalization of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining—The Case of the Santurbán Moorland (Colombia)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-16, July.

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