Perspective on Artisinal and Small-scale gold Mining: Ecological and Socio-economic Inovation

Global aspirations for stringent mercury regulations have not been translated effectively in Russia, largely due to the emergence of new domestic cinnabar mining ventures. These initiatives have increased locally sourced mercury, reducing its cost and undermining efforts to curtail its use. This study employs Stochastic Multicriteria Acceptability Analysis (SMAA) within an environmental finance framework to rigorously assess the challenges associated with mitigating mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Russia. The sampling period for the research spans from June to September 2018 in the Krasnoyarsk Krai area, comprising Yeruda and Chebyzhek villages in the Kurakhinsky district and Abalatskoye village in the Minusinsky district. The paper investigated these complexities using SMAA to identify the multifaceted challenges in implementing the Minamata Agreement, a global treaty committed to regulating and curtailing mercury use. The findings revealed that mercury management is associated with various socioeconomic factors, labor relations, and power structures that have collectively hindered mercury-free practices in gold mining. Therefore, this study highlighted the critical need for a holistic, sustainable economic framework by incorporating new insights into the societal metabolic functions of dynamic mineral finance. Utilizing SMAA within the specific context of native employment conditions, the authors challenged the prevailing norms and offered robust, data-driven strategies aimed at reducing or eliminating mercury usage in ASGM.