Water is the most vital resource for life. Which is why it is important to understand the impact of artisanal and small-scale placer mining (ASM) on water bodies and watercourses and implement the correct water use and management practices.

Public positioning of the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) on mercury.

In an event for dialogue and regional participation that we organized at the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) to get together with different stakeholders with whom we had been working with in Colombia (Cauca and Nariño regions), we built an agenda aimed at giving more visibility to artisanal and small-scale mining. This agenda was created based on the accomplishments, challenges and learnings that we identified throughout a year through the relationship with multiple stakeholders.

The launch of “Sustainable Jewellery. Principles and Processes for Creating an Ethical Brand” shows us the revolution that is taking place within the jewellery sector today. An opening to the secrecy that characterizes it, if we compare it to more innovative and communicative industries like fashion, in which we find an endless number of publications addressing its harmful impact on the environment, and the question of developing sustainable practices.

The general assistant of Gualconda mine and president of the Asociación Agro Minera de los Andes “Fortaleza”, Rolberto Alvarez, has been on a mission to eliminate mercury from the processes used by the 13 member association to extract gold. In December of 2017 the Colombian association accomplished this goal.