Land, water, and forest degradation in artisanal and small-scale mining: Implications for environmental sustainability and community wellbeing

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is increasingly damaging forest, land, and water resources, and this occurrence is rapidly gaining the attention of interest groups across the globe. Our paper contributes to the global discussion of this mining induced devastation with data from Ghana. Based on Landsat data, ASM degraded sites in seven administrative regions that have a long history of mining in the country are identified, mapped, and digitized. Results show that ASM has degraded more than 78,000 ha of forest and land with an attendant water pollution in the last two decades. The paper further explores the implications of this crucial finding for environmental sustainability and community wellbeing and introduces a conceptual model, ASM-Environmental Vulnerability Web, that describes the various means through which mining induced degradation affects environmental quality, livelihoods, food security, and community sustainability. The paper argues that the current trend of ASM exhibits attributes that are like those of the gold rush era in the 19th century, emphasizing that irresponsible mining practices have significant ramifications for the ecosystem and undermine sustainable development.