Webinar: How can we eradicate mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining?

A recent report by IUCN NL about the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) shed light on its informal and often illicit trade routes. In a webinar facilitated by Solidaridad and The Impact Facility, IUCN NL presented the results of this report and spoke about how we can eliminate the use of mercury.

Around the globe, 10 to 20 million people work in the ASGM sector and many of them use mercury on a daily basis. The webinar, which is part of a series called Golden Myths, zoomed in on the widespread use of mercury in ASGM.

Mercury trade

Looking beyond the much discussed environmental and health impacts of mercury, the event gave participants insight into the mechanisms that drive the continued use of mercury and how its use could possibly be eliminated.

Barbara Hendus, Program Officer Extractives & Conservation at IUCN NL, explained the informal and often illicit trade of mercury and addressed questions on how mercury reaches the mining communities across Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The webinar took place on Wednesday, 3 June. A full recording of the webinar can be watched below.

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