Assessment of the impact of artisanal and small-scale mining activities: case study in the district of Namballe, Cajamarca region, Peru

Details

Supervisors

Vanclooster, Marnik

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] : bioingénieur en sciences et technologies de l'environnement, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) significantly contributes to global gold production, particularly in developing regions. While ASM offers socio-economic benefits, it also generates complex environmental and social challenges that require thorough assessment to create impacting and effective regulation. Although various impact assessment methodologies exist in the scientific literature, only few are specifically tailored to the unique characteristics and complexities of ASM. This study, conducted in collaboration with the NGO Join For Water, focuses on the Namballe district in northern Peru, a region distinguished by informal ASM activities, particularly alluvial gold mining along the Chinchipe River. Using an integrated approach based on the Principles, Criteria, and Indicators (PC&I) framework, the research evaluates the sustainability of ASM, supported by data collected in the field. Based on a selection and assessment of a tailored set of 19 environmental and social indicators, the hierarchical framework indicates a moderate overall sustainability index of 0.52. The analysis highlights that the environmental pillar outperforms the social pillar, reflecting disparities in ASM's impact across these dimensions. The PC&I methodology has proven effective in addressing several key challenges inherent to the specific characteristics of ASM, owing to its flexibility, systematic structure, and its capacity to be implemented without requiring expert consultation. However, the robustness of the results is undermined by the informal nature of ASM, which contributes to data limitations and biases during the collection process. Future research could enhance the methodology by incorporating a participatory approach, such as the Analytical Hierarchy Process, to engage local stakeholders more effectively. Additionally, integrating a political dimension in the assessment framework to evaluate institutional performances could address the governance challenges that commonly affect informal ASM.