On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State announced
the award of a $1 million grant to fund the Blacksmith Institute’s work in
collaboration with the Peruvian Ministry of Environment to reduce the use of
mercury in mining in the Madre de Dios and Puno regions of Southern Peru.
An information session was also organized, which hosted
officials from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru, to teach them about the
importance of reducing mercury use by small-scale miners. The organizers hope
to encourage countries to ratify the Minamata Convention, intended to reduce
health and environmental damage caused by mercury use.
Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal spoke
out after the workshop, calling Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto’s
proposal to suspend the formalization process for artisanal miners “absolutely irresponsible.”
De Soto has been highly critical of the process, arguing, “Only 7 of 70,000
recognized miners have managed to become formalized, and it is not because of a
lack of desire, but rather because of the innumerable obstacles that system
puts in their way.”
Pulgar-Vidal emphasized that the formalization process is
just one part of the large effort undertaken by the government to get rid of
illegal mining. Nonetheless, he agreed that some changes need to be made to
achieve the country’s goals: replacing the mining intermediaries with the state
and directly buying mining products, and second, promoting the use of
technology to reduce the use of mercury.
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