Forest-Smart Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (FS-ASM) Bolt-on Standard (the Bolt-on Standard) is now available for use by artisanal and small-scale miners, their state, and their customers. We invite governments, civil society, downstream enterprises, and development organizations to learn more about how they can implement the Bolt-on Standard and support its development, as an opportunity to contribute to climate action and the development of the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.

Mining is the second biggest driver of deforestation and a significant contributor to climate change. By following the Bolt-on Standard in forested areas, miners located in or within a 5km buffer zone of forest landscape will improve the environmental and human rights performance of their activities and so generate positive outcomes for forests, forest values (e.g. purity of air and water, carbon sequestration, heating limitation, precipitation cycles, etc.) and planetary health.

The FS-ASM Bolt-on Standard is a standard whose principles, criteria, and indicators can either supplement or be integrated into active mainstream ASM standards or legal frameworks. It could also be used to bring a natured-based solution and mining dimension into existing carbon standards. It is designed to be flexible and adaptable to maximize adoption and expedite progress toward forest-smart mining.  

The Bolt-on Standard was developed as part of the World Bank-funded project on Developing Forest Smart Artisanal and Small-scale Mining standards by Levin Sources, the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), and Fauna & Flora International (FFI). We designed it in close collaboration with a Global Advisory Panel comprising standard setters, international NGOs and multistakeholder initiatives.

Our consortium and its partners are now looking for further funding for targeted, high-impact initiatives that can help the world’s ASM community successfully cohabitate with forest.

Find out more about FSM, good and bad practices in FSM, what institutional donors can do to advance FSM (Levin Sources website) and the origins of Climate-Smart Mining (World Bank Fund website).

If you want to actively engage with the implementation and/or development of the standard, please send us a message to gro.s1711532058enime1711532058lbisn1711532058opser1711532058@mra1711532058 or moc.s1711532058ecruo1711532058snive1711532058l@oll1711532058eh1711532058

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