Environment and Natural Resource Conservation and Management in Mozambique

Chapter 4. Gold Panning In Central Mozambique: A Critical Investigation Of The Effects Of Gold Panning In Manica Province

83 Chapter 4 Gold Panning In Central Mozambique: A Critical Investigation Of The Effects Of Gold Panning In Manica Province Introduction Gold panning, also known as artisanal mining is a poverty driven occupation present in over 70 countries.1 For purposes of this work, the term gold panning shall be used more often than artisanal mining. Gold panning can be legal or illegal. In some cases especially where there are associations, gold panning can be organized, as medium or large-scale but in most cases it is a disorganized and small-scale operation. Also, though men are the societal members mostly involved in the activity, gold panning is not a male gendered operation as it directly or indirectly involves women and children alike. In many countries, gold panning lacks government support resulting in lack of education by those involved. This explains one of the reasons why processing techniques used by gold panners in the extraction of gold vary ranging from rudimentary or manual panning to semi-mechanized. Besides, lack of education especially among miners in the developing world explains why gold panning is normally associated with human health and environmental related problems as well as the misuse of hazardous materials (used during extraction or processing of the mineral) such as mercury and cyanide. That being the case, Mozambique like other developing nations the world over is at the risk of facing catastrophic changes in the physical environment, water sanitation, 84 agriculture, biodiversity and habitats and, of course, new pressures on human healthy and economy. These risks are a result of a myriad of factors ranging from environmental mismanagement, poor exploration of resources, poor agriculture, climate change and gold panning. In Mozambique, and in particular Manica province, poor exploration of resources such as gold and poor agriculture seems to be among the top factors putting the province at risk. The risks are generally manifested in pollution, poor human health, environmental degradation and dwindling of the agriculture sector. Such risks threaten to worsen the existing levels of poverty, food insecurity and undermining all national development efforts. It is in view of this realization that I advance the thesis that in Mozambique, since about 80% of the population depends directly on land and natural resources from the natural environment, the effects of climate change, gold mining, environmental damage, water pollution and variability are likely to have a great influence on the communities and in the national economy in general. According to Mozambique’s initial Communication to UNFCCC,2 the main sectors likely to be impacted by both natural and anthropogenic causes and climate change include: Agriculture and food security, water resources, costal resources, biodiversity, human health and infrastructure, loss of life, erosion, land degradation, sea level rise, natural disasters, salt intrusion, crops, ecosystems, property, human and animal habitats, outbreaks of pests and diseases, displacement of people, and destruction of infrastructure (communication network, schools, hospitals and houses). This situation is aggravated by the fact that Mozambique is home to many gold panners estimated to be at least 60,000 artisanal gold miners,3 18,000 of whom are women and children. The artisanal gold miners produce over 90% of the 85 country’s gold.4 It is worth noting that majority of these artisanal gold miners are concentrated in the Manica province in central Mozambique where some come from the neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia. According to recent studies, “in Manica province more than 20,000 fortune hunters are digging for gold in the mountains of Mozambique. Scores have come across the border from bitterly poor Zimbabwe. But for most, the dream of fabulous treasure ends up in endless toil, disease and death.”5 Such great numbers of gold hunters are disturbing as they put the province at an unimaginable socio-economic risks and environmental threats especially considering that gold panning in this part of the country is largely uncontrolled. While all the above mentioned problems are associated with gold mining in Mozambique, what remains worrisome when it comes to researches on gold mining in the country is the fact that most of them6 draw more attention on ways of reducing mercury pollution (used in gold amalgamation) without addressing other ‘serious’ problems being caused by illegal gold panning such as environmental degradation. The history of mining in Mozambique thus makes a sorry reading with its failure to document, by default or otherwise, some detailed accounts of...