Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon
Abstract Artisanal and small‐scale gold mining (ASGM), a wealth‐generating industry in many regions, is nonetheless a global challenge for governance and a threat to biodiversity, public health, and ecosystem integrity. In 2019, the Peruvian government mobilized a targeted, large‐scale armed interve...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Conservation Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12978 |
| _version_ | 1797661237887107072 |
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| author | Evan N. Dethier Miles R. Silman Luis E. Fernandez Jorge Caballero Espejo Sarra Alqahtani Paúl Pauca David A. Lutz |
| author_facet | Evan N. Dethier Miles R. Silman Luis E. Fernandez Jorge Caballero Espejo Sarra Alqahtani Paúl Pauca David A. Lutz |
| author_sort | Evan N. Dethier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Artisanal and small‐scale gold mining (ASGM), a wealth‐generating industry in many regions, is nonetheless a global challenge for governance and a threat to biodiversity, public health, and ecosystem integrity. In 2019, the Peruvian government mobilized a targeted, large‐scale armed intervention against illegal ASGM, which has caused deforestation and water resource degradation in this Tropical Biodiversity Hotspot. Before the intervention, the extent of waterbodies created by mining (mining ponds) was increasing by 33%–90%/year; after, they decreased by 4%–5%/year in targeted zones. Mining activity indicators showed 70%–90% abandonment. New mining activity accelerated in nearby areas outside the targeted area (pond area increases: 42%–83%; deforestation increases +3–5 km2/year). Far from intervention zones, mining remained stable during the study period. Our analysis demonstrates that targeted, large‐scale government intervention can have positive effects on conservation by stopping illegal mining activity and shifting it to permitted areas, thereby setting the stage for governance. Continued conservation efforts must further address the impacts of informal mining while (1) limiting environmental degradation by legal mining; (2) remediating former mining areas to reduce erosion and enable reforestation or alternative uses of the landscape; and (3) sustaining such efforts, as some miners began to return to intervention areas when enforcement relaxed in 2022. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:41:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3551db5679784a1ba89d88161a24fa52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1755-263X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T18:41:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-3551db5679784a1ba89d88161a24fa522023-10-12T11:41:41ZengWileyConservation Letters1755-263X2023-09-01165n/an/a10.1111/conl.12978Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian AmazonEvan N. Dethier0Miles R. Silman1Luis E. Fernandez2Jorge Caballero Espejo3Sarra Alqahtani4Paúl Pauca5David A. Lutz6Environmental Studies ProgramDartmouth CollegeHanoverNew HampshireUSACenter for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, and Department of BiologyWake Forest UniversityWinston‐SalemNorth CarolinaUSACenter for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, and Department of BiologyWake Forest UniversityWinston‐SalemNorth CarolinaUSAServicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado‐MINAMLimaPerúCenter for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, and Department of BiologyWake Forest UniversityWinston‐SalemNorth CarolinaUSACenter for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability, and Department of BiologyWake Forest UniversityWinston‐SalemNorth CarolinaUSAEnvironmental Studies ProgramDartmouth CollegeHanoverNew HampshireUSAAbstract Artisanal and small‐scale gold mining (ASGM), a wealth‐generating industry in many regions, is nonetheless a global challenge for governance and a threat to biodiversity, public health, and ecosystem integrity. In 2019, the Peruvian government mobilized a targeted, large‐scale armed intervention against illegal ASGM, which has caused deforestation and water resource degradation in this Tropical Biodiversity Hotspot. Before the intervention, the extent of waterbodies created by mining (mining ponds) was increasing by 33%–90%/year; after, they decreased by 4%–5%/year in targeted zones. Mining activity indicators showed 70%–90% abandonment. New mining activity accelerated in nearby areas outside the targeted area (pond area increases: 42%–83%; deforestation increases +3–5 km2/year). Far from intervention zones, mining remained stable during the study period. Our analysis demonstrates that targeted, large‐scale government intervention can have positive effects on conservation by stopping illegal mining activity and shifting it to permitted areas, thereby setting the stage for governance. Continued conservation efforts must further address the impacts of informal mining while (1) limiting environmental degradation by legal mining; (2) remediating former mining areas to reduce erosion and enable reforestation or alternative uses of the landscape; and (3) sustaining such efforts, as some miners began to return to intervention areas when enforcement relaxed in 2022.https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12978Amazonartisanal scale gold miningdeforestationenvironmental policyland‐use and land‐cover changeremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Evan N. Dethier Miles R. Silman Luis E. Fernandez Jorge Caballero Espejo Sarra Alqahtani Paúl Pauca David A. Lutz Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon Conservation Letters Amazon artisanal scale gold mining deforestation environmental policy land‐use and land‐cover change remote sensing |
| title | Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon |
| title_full | Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon |
| title_fullStr | Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon |
| title_short | Operation mercury: Impacts of national‐level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the Peruvian Amazon |
| title_sort | operation mercury impacts of national level armed forces intervention and anticorruption strategy on artisanal gold mining and water quality in the peruvian amazon |
| topic | Amazon artisanal scale gold mining deforestation environmental policy land‐use and land‐cover change remote sensing |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12978 |
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