Geographic information management support for artisanal and small-scale gold mining national action plans under the Minamata Convention
According to the Minamata Convention, each NAP shall include baseline information on mercury use and practices employed at ASGM sites. This information will assist with setting mercury reduction targets and the corresponding strategies, including steps to formalize or regulate the sector, measures to reduce mercury use, and measures to protect human health and prevent the exposure of vulnerable populations. A diverse range of indicators is therefore relevant to policy making and progress monitoring of mercury reduction targets under the Minamata Convention. Among others, indicators can include the location of gold mining sites, mining licences and type of deposit, processing techniques at site level, gold production figures and demographics of miners, location of streams, and mercury trade flows. Effectively managing this wealth of information, sharing it among government agencies and monitoring the effectiveness of mercury reduction strategies can be a challenge for implementing countries. Given the nature of artisanal and small scale gold mining, the vast majority of relevant data sets are geospatial, in other words they can be visualised on a map.
MAPX Supporting National Action Plans for the Minamata Convention on Mercury
