Gold mining is the main driver of forest loss and ecosystem degradation in Guyana. But not only are forests at risk, mercury is used in the gold mining process, further contaminating the environment and putting humans and other species’ health at risk.
In an effort to help combat the problem within this important sector of its economy, Guyana has launched a new effort to eliminate mercury use from small-scale artisanal gold mining.
The new project, backed by the Global Environment Facility and other partners including Conservation International and UN Environment, will assist Guyana with converting to mercury free mining by 2025. It plans to do this by involving business enterprises in the supply chain that will produce and market responsibly mined mercury-free gold from El Dorado.
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