Suchergebnisse

At head of title: No. 6, Legislature of North Carolina, 1831. ; Cover title. ; Mode of access: Internet.

Since the liberalisation of the gold mining sector in the 1990s, the state of Burkina Faso has the task of allotting exploration and exploitation permits to private companies. International junior companies are exploring vast concessions in Burkina, and publish promising prospects on the internet. Scrutinising the presence of (inter)national companies both on the web and on the ground, the article shows how a set of concessions constitutes a 'field', defined as a system of social positions structured in terms of power relations. Concessions bring together a wide range of professionals in mining: potential investors, international companies, Burkinabe entrepreneurs and artisanal miners. The article describes how legal distinctions affect the power structure of working arrangements on one particular group of exploration permits in the central part of Burkina, currently held by the Canadian company High River Gold: the Bissa permit Group. It examines what happens on the ground when companies are allotted formal titles, whereas artisanal miners can at best aspire to obtain marginal places for their informal practices.

The purpose of this study was to determine the pattern of socio-economic relations in gold mining in Bombana Regency. This research was carried out in Tahi Ite Village, Rarowatu District, Bombana Regency by using a qualitative approach. The results showed that the pattern of socio-economic relations in gold mining in Tahi Ite Village, Rarowatu Subdistrict, Bombana District intertwined, among others; 1) Government's Social-Economic Relationship with the Community, namely the transfer of management with consideration of income. 2) Government's Socio-Economic Relations with Investors, namely increasing regional own-source revenue (PAD) through profit-sharing/royalty 3) Investor's Social-Economic Relationship with the Community, namely the opening of employment opportunities. 4) Socio-Economic Relations Among Communities, namely land management by way of profit sharing or percent of the land.

This article uses the concept 'Bricoleurs' to analyse the different categories of indigenous small- scale miners in Zimbabwe. Indigenous citizens constitute the bulk of the small and medium scale gold miners who continue to use antiquated methods of extraction and processing and they market their gold through illegal networks managed by middlemen. The study highlights the challenges Bricoleurs encounter in forcing inclusion into the mainstream mining economy, and the government's failure to capture them into the formal gold market. The indigenous gold miners' experiences reveal the trials posed by fragmented and incoherent legal and institutional policy frameworks that militate against the Bricoleur miners' productivity. With gold deposits found all over the country, and in the absence of supporting organisational structures, the Bricoleurs' self-empowerment through devious means has become accepted by mining authorities. Data for this article was collected mostly through interviews with different stakeholders in the gold mining industry in Harare, Shurugwi and Chakari in Zimbabwe.

ABSTRACTThis study was aimed to analyze the impact of gold mining on livelihoods of farmers in rural area of Bombana District. The research used sustainable livelihoods approach which focus on vulnerability context faced by farmers around gold mine site and ownership of and access to capital assets which were influenced by mining activity, which in the end lead to increasing or decreasing livelihood outcome of farmers in the area. The study was done in three villages around the gold mine site. Data was gathered through combination of quantitative and qualitative method using sample survey, in-depth interview and focus group discussion. The result showed that there was declining on rice production due to decreasing of farm land and land degradation as a result of draught season that affected the area. Watu-Watu village was the worst in terms of the loss of natural assets compare to other villages. Policy, institution and process which were represented by government and mining companies have added local communities' exposure to vulnerability context they already faced. Livelihood diversification was chosen as coping strategy out of livelihood crisis due to the loss of productive assets caused by mining activities.Keywords: gold, mining, farmers, livelihood, BombanaABSTRAKPenelitian ini dilakukan untuk menganalisa dampak kegiatan peambangan emas terhadap capaian penghidupan masyarakat di wilayah pedesaan kabupaten BombanA, dengan menggunakan pendekatan penghidupan yang berkelanjutan, yang menekankan pada konteks kerentanan yang dihadapi oleh masyarakat petani di sekitar wilayah penambangan serta pola kepemilikan dan akses terhadap aset-aset penghidupan yang dipengaruhi oleh kegiatan penamanbangan, yang pada gilirannya dapat meningkatkan atau menurunkan kemampuannya dalam memperoleh capaian penghidupan yang lebih baik. Penelitian ini akan dilakukan di tiga desa di loaksi penambangan. Metode penelitian menggabungkan antara metode kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Metode kualitatif melalui Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), fokus grup diskusi dan wawancara mendalam, dan metode kuantitatif dengan menggunakan sample survey. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya penurunan produksi pertanian di lokasi penelitian yang disebabkan berkurangnya lahan pertanian dan kerusakan lahan akibat kekeringan yang melanda lokasipenelitian. Desa Watu-Watu merupakan desa yang terparah dalam hal kehilangan aset penghidupan dibandingkan kedua desa lainnya. Keberadaan kebijakan, kelembagaan dan proses yang diwakili oleh pemerintah dan perusahaan penambangan merupakan faktor yang semakin menekan posisi masyarakat setempat dalam konteks kerentanan yang dihadapinya. Upaya masyarakat untuk keluar dari krisis penghidupan akibat berkurang akses terhadap aset penghidupan melahirkan diversifikasi sumber nafkah sebagai bentuk coping strategy, dan tidak semata-mata tergantung pada sektor pertanian, tetapi juga pada sektor non pertanian.Kata kunci: tambang emas, penghidupan, petan, Bombana.

This is an open access article under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. ; Mercury‐dependent artisanal and small‐scale gold mining (ASGM) is the largest source of mercury pollution on Earth. In this practice, elemental mercury is used to extract gold from ore as an amalgam. The amalgam is typically isolated by hand and then heated—often with a torch or over a stove—to distill the mercury and isolate the gold. Mercury release from tailings and vaporized mercury exceed 1000 tonnes each year from ASGM. The health effects on the miners are dire, with inhaled mercury leading to neurological damage and other health issues. The communities near these mines are also affected due to mercury contamination of water and soil and subsequent accumulation in food staples, such as fish—a major source of dietary protein in many ASGM regions. The risks to children are also substantial, with mercury emissions from ASGM resulting in both physical and mental disabilities and compromised development. Between 10 and 19 million people use mercury to mine for gold in more than 70 countries, making mercury pollution from ASGM a global issue. With the Minamata Convention on Mercury entering force this year, there is political motivation to help overcome the problem of mercury in ASGM. In this effort, chemists can play a central role. Here, the problem of mercury in ASGM is reviewed with a discussion on how the chemistry community can contribute solutions. Introducing portable and low‐cost mercury sensors, inexpensive and scalable remediation technologies, novel methods to prevent mercury uptake in fish and food crops, and efficient and easy‐to‐use mercury‐free mining techniques are all ways in which the chemistry community can help. To meet these challenges, it is critical that new technologies or techniques are low‐cost and adaptable to the remote and under‐resourced areas in which ASGM is most common. The problem of mercury pollution in ASGM is inherently a chemistry problem. We therefore encourage the chemistry community to consider and address this issue that affects the health of millions of people. ; The authors are grateful for the generous financial support provided by Flinders University, The Australian Research Council (DE150101863), and the Australian Government National Environmental Science Programme Emerging Priorities Funding.