Promises and perceptions in the Guianas: The making of an artisanal and small-scale mining reserve
Nicole M. Smith,
Jessica M. Smith,
Zira Q. John and
Benjamin A. Teschner
Resources Policy, 2017, vol. 51, issue C, 49-56
Abstract:
In sparsely populated areas of the interior of the Guianas, artisanal and small-scale gold mining has become the primary economic activity for local and migrant populations over the last three decades. Because of the adverse environmental and social impacts often associated with artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), these activities can be a source of unease for governments, and the question of how to confront the growing challenges of ASM has become a global concern. Formalization of the sector is increasingly being put forward as one strategy to mitigate the impacts associated with ASM, and there is a growing consensus that large-scale mining (LSM) companies have a role to play in this process. This article examines the perspectives of artisanal and small-scale miners on an initiative to formalize the ASM sector in a rural region in the interior of the Guianas. Through an analysis of a collaboration between a national government and a LSM company to create a reserve for artisanal and small-scale gold miners, we identify the major opportunities and limitations of this strategy. These opportunities and limitations demonstrate that although an artisanal and small-scale mining reserve could be one way to formalize the sector and support rural livelihoods, there are clear barriers to overcome to improve the interactions among governments, companies, artisanal and small-scale miners, and local communities.
Keywords: Artisanal and small-scale mining; Large-scale mining; Formalization; Guianas (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)
Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301420716300447
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:51:y:2017:i:c:p:49-56
DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2016.11.006
Access Statistics for this article
Resources Policy is currently edited by R. G. Eggert
More articles in Resources Policy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().