IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i11p6854-d831319.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM): Management and Socioenvironmental Impacts in the Northern Amazon of Ecuador

Author

Listed:
  • Carlos Mestanza-Ramón

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

  • Demmy Mora-Silva

    (Green Amazon, Research Center, Nueva Loja 210150, Ecuador)

  • Giovanni D’Orio

    (Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance, University of Calabria, 87036 Arcavacata di Rende, Italy)

  • Enrique Tapia-Segarra

    (Facultad de Mecánica, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba 060155, Ecuador)

  • Isabel Dominguez Gaibor

    (Facultad de Ciencias, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo, Riobamba 060155, Ecuador)

  • José Fernando Esparza Parra

    (Faculty of Natural Resources, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Panamericana Sur km 1 ½, Riobamba 060155, Ecuador)

  • Carlos Renato Chávez Velásquez

    (Faculty of Natural Resources, Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Panamericana Sur km 1 ½, Riobamba 060155, Ecuador)

  • Salvatore Straface

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy)

Abstract

Mining is one of the oldest economic activities of mankind. Within this activity, artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is one of the most studied sectors due to its high level of environmental contamination and the social problems it causes. In recent years, ASGM in the northern Amazon of Ecuador has increased significantly, and studies that describe its current situation and impact are scarce. In this sense, the present study aimed to analyze the current status and socioenvironmental impacts caused by ASGM gold mining activities in the Cascales canton in the province of Sucumbíos in northeastern Ecuador. The methodological tools used in the present study were a literature review of scientific and gray literature, field visits to assess perceived impacts and an expert judgment to discuss the results and establish challenges. The main results indicate that illegal and informal activities continue to be carried out in the upper zone of the Cascales and Duvino rivers; 90% of local miners still use mercury in this activity, although it is legally prohibited. Among the main impacts evidenced are the contamination of water bodies, soil and atmosphere due to the use of mercury and disturbance to flora and fauna due to the use of machinery in the exploration process. Finally, the government should focus efforts on strengthening public policies to socialize the importance of good environmental practices in ASGM and the effects of the impacts on human health and environmental issues, all this with the support of social actors, such as ministries, universities, NGOs, ASGM associations and private enterprise.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & Demmy Mora-Silva & Giovanni D’Orio & Enrique Tapia-Segarra & Isabel Dominguez Gaibor & José Fernando Esparza Parra & Carlos Renato Chávez Velásquez & Salvatore Straface, 2022. "Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM): Management and Socioenvironmental Impacts in the Northern Amazon of Ecuador," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6854-:d:831319
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6854/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/11/6854/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Worlanyo, Adator Stephanie & Alhassan, Sikpaam Issaka & Jiangfeng, Li, 2022. "The impacts of gold mining on the welfare of local farmers in Asutifi-North District in Ghana: A quantitative and multi-dimensional approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    2. 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.
    3. Adekoya, Oluwasegun B. & Oliyide, Johnson A. & Yaya, OlaOluwa S. & Al-Faryan, Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh, 2022. "Does oil connect differently with prominent assets during war? Analysis of intra-day data during the Russia-Ukraine saga," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Todd Gordon & Jeffery Webber, 2008. "Imperialism and Resistance: Canadian mining companies in Latin America," Third World Quarterly, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 63-87.
    5. Cuenca, Pablo & Arriagada, Rodrigo & Echeverría, Cristian, 2016. "How much deforestation do protected areas avoid in tropical Andean landscapes?," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 56-66.
    6. Adler Miserendino, Rebecca & Bergquist, Bridget A. & Adler, Sara E. & Guimarães, Jean Remy Davée & Lees, Peter S.J. & Niquen, Wilmer & Velasquez-López, P. Colon & Veiga, Marcello M., 2013. "Challenges to measuring, monitoring, and addressing the cumulative impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Ecuador," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 713-722.
    7. Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & Jefferson Cuenca-Cumbicus & Giovanni D’Orio & Jeniffer Flores-Toala & Susana Segovia-Cáceres & Amanda Bonilla-Bonilla & Salvatore Straface, 2022. "Gold Mining in the Amazon Region of Ecuador: History and a Review of Its Socio-Environmental Impacts," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-22, February.
    8. Rozo, Sandra V., 2020. "Unintended effects of illegal economic activities: Illegal gold mining and malaria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    9. Rettberg, Angelika & Ortiz-Riomalo, Juan Felipe, 2016. "Golden Opportunity, or a New Twist on the Resource–Conflict Relationship: Links Between the Drug Trade and Illegal Gold Mining in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 82-96.
    10. Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & Selene Paz-Mena & Carlos López-Paredes & Mirian Jimenez-Gutierrez & Greys Herrera-Morales & Giovanni D’Orio & Salvatore Straface, 2021. "History, Current Situation and Challenges of Gold Mining in Ecuador’s Litoral Region," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    11. Desmond, Nicola & Allen, Caroline F. & Clift, Simon & Justine, Butolwa & Mzugu, Joseph & Plummer, Mary L. & Watson-Jones, Deborah & Ross, David A., 2005. "A typology of groups at risk of HIV/STI in a gold mining town in north-western Tanzania," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 60(8), pages 1739-1749, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ottone Scammacca & Rasool Mehdizadeh & Yann Gunzburger, 2022. "Territorial Mining Scenarios for Sustainable Land-Planning: A Risk-Based Comparison on the Example of Gold Mining in French Guiana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-25, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fikru, Mahelet G. & Avila-Santamaria, Jorge J. & Soria, Rafael & Logan, Annaleese & Romero, Pedro P., 2024. "Evaluating ESG risk ratings of mining companies: What are lessons for Ecuador's developing mining sector?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    2. Zhou, Yongbin & Liu, Yiying & Niu, Juanjuan, 2024. "Role of mineral-based industrialization in promoting economic growth: Implications for achieving environmental sustainability and social equity," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    3. Angulo Amaya, Maria Camila, 2024. "Criminal governance and public resources: The case of paramilitaries and health care provision in Colombia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    4. Kayani, Umar Nawaz & Hassan, M. Kabir & Moussa, Faten & Hossain, Gazi Farid, 2023. "Oil in crisis: What can we learn," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    5. Franks, Daniel M. & Brereton, David & Moran, Chris J., 2013. "The cumulative dimensions of impact in resource regions," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 640-647.
    6. Badakhshan, Naser & Shahriar, Kourosh & Afraei, Sajjad & Bakhtavar, Ezzeddin, 2023. "Determining the environmental costs of mining projects: A comprehensive quantitative assessment," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    7. Yousfi, Mohamed & Farhani, Ramzi & Bouzgarrou, Houssam, 2024. "From the pandemic to the Russia–Ukraine crisis: Dynamic behavior of connectedness between financial markets and implications for portfolio management," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 1178-1197.
    8. Umar, Muhammad & Riaz, Yasir & Yousaf, Imran, 2022. "Impact of Russian-Ukraine war on clean energy, conventional energy, and metal markets: Evidence from event study approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    9. Małgorzata Tarczynska-Luniewska & Iwona Bak & Uma Shankar Singh & Guru Ashish Singh, 2022. "Economic Crisis Impact Assessment and Risk Exposure Evaluation of Selected Energy Sector Companies from Bombay Stock Exchange," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-25, November.
    10. Wang, Xinghua & Lee, Zhengzheng & Wu, Shuang & Qin, Meng, 2023. "Exploring the vital role of geopolitics in the oil market: The case of Russia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
    11. Yaya, OlaOluwa S. & Lukman, Adewale F. & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2022. "Persistence and volatility spillovers of bitcoin price to gold and silver prices," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    12. Abakah, Emmanuel Joel Aikins & Abdullah, Mohammad & Yousaf, Imran & Kumar Tiwari, Aviral & Li, Yanshuang, 2024. "Economic sanctions sentiment and global stock markets," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Bowles, Paul & MacPhail, Fiona & Tetreault, Darcy, 2019. "Social licence versus procedural justice: Competing narratives of (Il)legitimacy at the San Xavier mine, Mexico," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 157-165.
    14. Ahmed, Shamima & Assaf, Rima & Rahman, Molla Ramizur & Tabassum, Fariha, 2023. "Is geopolitical risk interconnected? Evidence from Russian-Ukraine crisis," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    15. Quintero-Angel, Mauricio & Coles, Ashley & Duque-Nivia, Andrés A., 2021. "A historical perspective of landscape appropriation and land use transitions in the Colombian South Pacific," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    16. Pablo Cuenca & Juan Robalino & Rodrigo Arriagada & Cristian Echeverría, 2018. "Are government incentives effective for avoided deforestation in the tropical Andean forest?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(9), pages 1-14, September.
    17. Ali, Shoaib & Al-Nassar, Nassar S. & Naveed, Muhammad, 2024. "Bridging the gap: Uncovering static and dynamic relationships between digital assets and BRICS equity markets," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    18. Coast, Ernestina, 2006. "Local understandings of, and responses to, HIV: Rural-urban migrants in Tanzania," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(4), pages 1000-1010, August.
    19. Szafranek, Karol & Rubaszek, Michał & Uddin, Gazi Salah, 2024. "The role of uncertainty and sentiment for intraday volatility connectedness between oil and financial markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    20. Casper Boongaling Agaton, 2022. "Will a Geopolitical Conflict Accelerate Energy Transition in Oil-Importing Countries? A Case Study of the Philippines from a Real Options Perspective," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-17, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:11:p:6854-:d:831319. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.