Deforestation and forest regeneration following small-scale gold mining in the Amazon: the case of Suriname

Abstract

Despite scientific concern about Amazon deforestation and the impacts of the Amazon gold rush, few researchers have assessed the long-term impacts of small-scale gold mining on forest cover. This study estimates deforestation from gold mining and analyses the regeneration of abandoned mining areas in the Suriname Amazon. Fieldwork in December 1998 included observations and ecological measurements, as well as qualitative interviews with local miners about mining history and technology. Vegetation cover of abandoned mining sites of different ages was compared with that in old-growth forest. By present estimates, gold miners clear 48-96 km 2 of old-growth forest in Suriname annually. Based on different assumptions about changes in technology and the amount of mining that takes place on previously mined sites, cumulative deforestation is expected to reach 750-2280 km 2 by 2010. Furthermore, the analysis of abandoned mining sites suggests that forest recovery following mining is slow and qualitatively inferior compared to regeneration following other land uses. Unlike areas in nearby old-growth forest, large parts of mined areas remain bare ground, grass, and standing water. The area deforested by mining may seem relatively small, but given the slow forest recovery and the concentration of mining in selected areas, small-scale gold mining is expected to reduce local forest cover and ecosystem services in regions where mining takes place.

The effects of deforestation on the hydrological cycle in Amazonia: a review on scale and resolution

“…These plans included the construction of extensive roads throughout the basin and the implementation of fiscal incentives for new settlers, triggering a massive migration of landless people into the region (Kelly and London, 1983;Moran, 1993). Since then, deforestation has become an intensive activity within the basin (Millet et al, 1998;Peterson and Heemskerk, 2001;Steininger et al, 2001), and, by the early 1990s, more than 10% of the basin's original forest had been converted to pasture or cropland (Fearnside, 1993), and, more recently, preferably to soybean culture (Fearnside, 2001). In Brazilian Amazonia alone, deforestation has reached an average rate of 1.78 × 10 4 km 2 /year from 1988 to (INPE, 2004.…”

Evaluation of the Advanced Minning Front Craft in and around National Parks of the Benue and Bouba-Ndjidda in North Cameroon

“…In fact, har- The environmental consequences of gold washing are numerous, among others: the fragmentation and fragmentation of the plant landscape, the habitat of wildlife, the destruction of forest galleries, the leaching of soils, the modification of the hydrographic network, pollution by the mercury and the fuel poured into the waters, the intensification of the poaching of the fauna... These effects of gold washing on the environment were observed well locally [15] than elsewhere [2]; in the Sahara [16], in Suriname [17] and in Guyana [14].…”

Anthropogenic Habitat Modification, Tourist Interactions and Crop-Raiding in Howler Monkeys

“…At minimum, gold mining in Suriname affects waterways, which are diverted and polluted with mercury during the process. At maximum, large areas of forest are completely cleared to provide access to the gold-rich soils below them (Peterson and Heemskert 2001 ). Decades will be required for anything passing as monkey habitat to regenerate naturally.…”