Global Opportunities for the Long-Term Development of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Sector in Paraguay - planetGOLD Paraguay

This project aims to reduce the negative environmental and social effects caused by the intensive use of mercury in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector in Paraguay.



ASGM operations are highly concentrated in one of the departments of the country, where the use of mercury remains particularly high due to the inefficient practices and technologies used by miners. This situation causes negative consequences to the environment and the surrounding communities. Mercury is a well-known chemical element that is naturally occurring and emit/release through anthropogenic sources to the environment. Once in the environment, mercury can be persistent, travel long distances and bioaccumulates up the food chain. With respect to ASGM, miners often inhale mercury during amalgam burning which can damage the nervous system as well as other parts of the body. In addition, high volumes of methylmercury cause severe damage to the immune and nervous systems, with an augmented impact on pregnant women and new-borns.

The objective of this project is to trigger a behavioural change in the ASGM sector in Paraguay. To achieve this, the project plans to apply a comprehensive approach in which the project’s intervention will focus on four key factors to enable a responsible, mercury-free development of the ASGM sector in Paraguay.
Those elements are:
1) The promotion of formalization efforts in the national ASGM sector;
2) The reduction of barriers to access finance for ASGM miners and promotion of responsible gold supply chains;
3) The uptake of mercury-free gold processing technologies; and
4) The management of knowledge and communications created by the project to ensure upscaling at the national and international levels.
The Global Environmental Benefits (GEBs) expected will be the abatement of 2 metric tons of mercury, 64,000 hectares under improved land management and 2,000 people as direct beneficiaries.