©ARM
May 22nd, 2015
In order to explore and develop strategies for the reduction of mercury use in small-scale gold mining in Southern Bolívar, Colombia, the Alliance for Responsible Mining and Fondo para la Acción Ambiental y la Niñez is today hosting the event “The impact of mercury in southern Bolívar: Let´s construct strategies for its mitigation”.
The event aims to encourage jointly built strategies for mercury reduction in the region through a dialogue between miners, government institutions and representatives of civil society.
In the Bolivar department mercury pollution has generated much attention in the media. Subsequently, the results of the event are expected to contribute to the construction of a new vision for small-scale mining, in which miners are working responsibly to mitigate the impact of the activity that provides them with opportunities for economic development as well as a greater quality of life.
The event as well as a study on mercury levels in Bolivar were conducted with funding from Fondo para la Acción Ambiental y la Niñez and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) and the support of the partner organization FUNCOPROMAS.