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Illegal Mining - Article Draft

Illegal Mining in Peru (01-20-2017) An aerial view of "La Pampa" gold mine's illegal expansion into the Tambopata National Reserve

Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits.

Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the case with artisanal mining, or it can belong to large-scale organized crime, spearheaded by illegal mining syndicates. On an international level, approximately 80 percent of small-scale mining operations can be categorized as illegal. Despite strategic developments towards "responsible mining," even big companies can be involved in (partially) illegal mineral digging and extraction, if only on the financing side.

Regional Issues

Sub-Saharan Africa

Spurred by widespread poverty and a lack of alternative income-earning opportunities, illegal artisanal mining is a well-documented phenomenon in sub-Saharan Africa. While legalization opportunities for artisanal and small scale mining are often available, inefficient government bureaucracy structures can make noncompliance more appealing for workers. In addition, in an effort to attract foreign investment, many governments in sub-Saharan Africa have loosened national mining investment codes. An expansion of the large-scale mining projects fueled by foreign investment has displaced rural mining communities, many of which revert to illegal mining on concessions given to the formal mining sector.

Latin America

Illegal gold mining in Latin America is a particular concern because of the scale of organized crime and significant rate of environmental degradation (through mercury and other toxic chemicals routinely used in gold mining) that accompany it.

Illegal mining operations are often located in remote areas, making it more difficult to enforce mining standards. Furthermore, mining requirements can vary substantially from region to region, further complicating adherence with labor laws, environmental regulations, and tax legislation. Emissions of mercury originating in artisanal mining, most of which is unregulated and illegal, are substantial, contributing to 37 percent of the atmospheric mercury emitted annually.

While drug trafficking has historically been a prominent criminal enterprise, lower risks associated with illegal mining have propelled a shift toward lucrative illegal gold mining operations. In order to transfer illegal gold into the marketplace, criminal actors sometimes attempt to mask its illicit origins by melting together processed legal and illegal gold. This gold laundering task is generally facilitated by middlemen who falsify documentation to ease the transition into the legitimate international marketplace.

See also

• Illegal mining in India
• Illegal coal mining
• Mining law
• Artisanal mining
• Illegal sand mining
• Blood diamonds

Previous Assignments

Illegal Mining - Preliminary Sources

1). Hilson, Gavin. (2009). "Small-scale mining, poverty and economic development in sub-Saharan Africa: An overview". Resources Policy, 34 (1-2), 1–5. doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2008.12.001.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2008.12.001

2). Banchirigah, Sadia. (2008). "Challenges with eradicating illegal mining in Ghana: A perspective from the grassroots". Resources Policy, 33 (1), 29-38. doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2007.11.001.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2007.11.001.

3). Kambey, Joice; Farrell A.; Bendell-Young, L. (2001). "Influence of illegal gold mining on mercury levels in fish of North Sulawesi's Minahasa Peninsula, (Indonesia)". Environmental Pollution, 114 (3), 299-302. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(01)00163-4.

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(01)00163-4.

4). Yang, X; Lin, Aijun, Li, Xiao-Liang; We, Yiding; Zhou, Wenbin; Chen, Zhanheng. (2013). "China's ion-adsorption rare earth resources, mining consequences and preservation". Environmental Development, 8, 131-136. doi:10.1016/j.envdev.2013.03.006.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2013.03.006.

5). Yakovleva, Natalia. (2007). "Perspectives on female participation in artisanal and small-scale mining: A case study of Birim North District of Ghana". Resources Policy, 32 (1-2), 29-41. doi:10.1016/j.resourpol.2007.03.002.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2007.03.002.

Illegal Mining - Article Evaluation

Content

This article is currently in its rudimentary stages, and there are many aspects of the text that have room for improvement. For instance, the subsections "India" and "Ukraine" only link to other articles and contain no accompanying information. If they are truly relevant topics, a brief summary of the information, as it pertains to illegal mining, should be included. Alternatively, the "India" and "Ukraine" subsections could be removed, and the links could be relocated to the "see also" section. Additionally, a greater depth of information would improve the quality of the article. Perhaps this could include a more thorough leading description of illegal mining, a reorganization of regional illegal mining highlights, and the inclusion of additional relevant subtopics.

Tone

The wording appears to be mostly neutral, but the validity of the sources backing these viewpoints is questionable. Therefore, some statements may need to be revised unless other reliable sources are added to confirm their accuracy.

Sources

Many of the sources lack proper credibility and are from news media or non-academic sources that are more susceptible to bias. More credible publications should be added to provide better support for the current information as well as expand the depth of the article. Three of the seven references are linked to Mining Africa, which suggest an unbalanced distribution of sources.

Talk Page

There is currently no information present on the talk page aside from its role in three Wikiproject categories: mining, environment, and crime. It has been rated as a stub-class article by two of the projects, suggesting substantial room for improvement. There are also gaps present in the categorization of the article's quality and importance within these Wikiprojects.

My Notes

Other Possible Sources

1. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/183743/summary and https://muse.jhu.edu/article/183743/pdf