Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining

Dear Colleagues,

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), broadly defined as informal mining using rudimentary processes to extract minerals or gems, often with no or very little mechanization, occurs in many developing countries throughout the world. While an estimated 20–30 million people worldwide work in ASM, representing a key source of revenue in many developing nations, ASM can simultaneously create new or exacerbate existing environmental, health, and socio-economic challenges. Examples of ASM activities include (but are not limited to) digging for gemstones, sand winning, coal mining, gold mining, clay mining, and peat extraction. The effects of single ASM activities on the environment and public health may well be non-significant; however, when they occur simultaneously, their effect may increase by orders of magnitude. The negative impacts on ecosystems via the unsustainable use of natural resources with land/water quality degradation and deforestation are well recognised. The type of mine, method of mining and refinement of extracted material will have various impacts on the environment. In particular, mercury use in ASM (and artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM)) is the largest source of mercury releases to the environment globally, and mercury emissions from the sector are transported through the environment on both a local and global scale.

With the increase of worldwide initiatives to introduce sustainable ASM practices, this Special Issue aims to capture emerging research, practices, and approaches to tackle the environmental challenges and related public health issues posed by ASM. We welcome submissions on the following topics: The role of ore deposit geology, geochemistry and mineralogy in ASM practices and environmental impact; case studies of integrated (socio-economic-health and environment) assessments of ASM, also including climate change considerations; sustainable ASM practices; remediation strategies; the applicability of earth observation for identifying and monitoring ASM.

Dr. Barbara Palumbo-Roe
Guest Editor

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