The Impact of High Prices on Small-Scale Mining Communities
We are currently experiencing a period of high gold prices, with the metal reaching record highs in recent years.
Desirée Binternagel
4. May 2023
Gold from responsible mining has an impact far beyond the boundaries of the mine. Here, we highlight specific examples of sustainable development: healthcare, infrastructure, educational projects, and economic diversification in gold-mining communities.
We are currently experiencing a period of high gold prices, with the metal reaching record highs in recent years.
The price of gold is high: Gigantic areas of tropical rainforest are being cleared, countless people are being displaced, toxic waste is being dumped into rivers and groundwater is being contaminated.
Oro Puno is located in the south of Peru in the province of Puno, about
4,700 meters above sea level. The area is characterized by cold and snowy weather with temperatures between -10 °C to + 10 °C.
Aidalid Vergara and her colleagues belong to the Asociacion Agrominera Unida por Mindalá (AGROMIN), a women’s cooperative in Colombia. They are so-called “barequeras” and wash gold from riverbeds – a hard job.
Women do not usually work directly in the tunnels because, according to tradition, this could bring bad luck to the mine.