The gold, peoples and multiple frontiers of French Guiana

Jébrak, Michel; Heuret, Arnauld; Rostan, Pierre

doi:10.1016/j.exis.2020.11.005

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…6a), although used levels are only higher in the northern belt because of formal interdictions in the southern one, where the Amazonian Park is located (Fig. 6i) and where illegal gold mining is very active (Jébrak et al 2021). MnM offered levels are higher in all the Quaternary sedimentary formations of the coastal plain (Fig.…”

Section: Geodiversity and Geofunctionality Hotspotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Geodiversity to Geofunctionality: Quantifying Geodiversity-Based Ecosystem Services for Landscape Planning in French Guiana

Scammacca,

Bétard,

Montagne

et al. 2023

Geoheritage

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Geodiversity assessment gained a prominent interest in the geoscientific community and beyond. However, it is not always sufficient for land planning or geoconservation. It is then pivotal to account for the contribution of functional geodiversity (i.e. geofunctionality), for instance declining the ecosystem services (ES) cascade model. However, by our knowledge geodiversity-based ES (GES) have been rarely quantified.This paper aims at adapting existing ES-related approaches to quantify and map GES in French Guiana, a French Overseas territory located in the Amazon, where on-going land use changes might affect ES supply. Seven GES were spatially assessed through an indicator-based approach accounting for both offered and used GES and merged into multiservices maps. Multiservices maps were then combined with a hemeroby index to highlight geofunctionality hotspots.Difference maps were finally used to compare geodiversity and geofunctionality patterns.The ES framework seems an effective way to quantitatively assess geofunctionality.Geodiversity and geofunctionality do not follow the same spatial patterns: very geodiverse areas can be poorly functional and vice-versa. Therefore, geodiversity and geofunctionality need to be both considered when it comes to landscape planning. This might be enhanced through hotspots mapping to highlight priority areas for planners. This study also focuses on the role of human inputs in GES supply and raises questions about the selection of proper indicators that should fit each step from the ES supply to management. High-quality datasets must be available and their occasional absence is a central matter of land planning that must be addressed before every decision-making process.

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Section: Geodiversity and Geofunctionality Hotspotsmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Geodiversity to Geofunctionality: Quantifying Geodiversity-Based Ecosystem Services for Landscape Planning in French Guiana

Scammacca,

Bétard,

Montagne

et al. 2023

Geoheritage

Self Cite

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“…In French Guiana, gold mining started in the 1850s and was followed by two main gold rushes peaking in the early 1900s (1870–1920 CE) and in the late 1990s (1990–2010 CE). , Today, although Hg use is prohibited since 2006, the majority of ASGM activities are alluvial and performed by illegal miners, namely, “garimpeiros” who use liquid Hg in the gold mining process. Gold (Au) is recovered after the disaggregation of alluvial deposits with high-pressure water jets, creating slurries that flow over a carpeted table to preconcentrate Au gravimetrically.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Hg Contamination from Gold Mining in French Guiana at the Watershed Scale Using Hg Isotopic Composition in River Sediments

Nitschke,

Guedron,

Tessier

et al. 2024

ACS EST Water

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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is a major source of mercury (Hg) contamination in Amazonian ecosystems, due to remobilization of geogenic Hg from mined soil, and anthropogenic Hg used for gold amalgamation. To assess these two relative contributions, Hg stable isotope composition together with geochemical variables were determined in sediment samples collected in the early 2000s across the main watersheds of French Guiana. Mercury in sediment was found associated with organic matter and Fe/Al oxides. Total Hg concentrations were correlated (p < 0.001) to both mass-dependent (δ 202 Hg) and odd-massindependent fractionation (Δ 199 Hg) indicating that the Hg isotopic composition of river sediments reflects the extent of contamination, with two isotopic end-members for pristine or geogenic (δ 202 Hg = −2.53 ± 0.23‰, Δ 199 Hg = −0.62 ± 0.10‰) and for ASGM contaminated (δ 202 Hg = −0.42 ± 0.20‰, Δ 199 Hg = −0.01 ± 0.07‰) sediments. A binary mixing model showed that the contribution of anthropogenic Hg in river sediments varied widely (ca. 0 to 100%) and reflected the geographical and historical monitoring of ASGM activities in French Guiana. These results highlight that Hg isotopic measurements in archived sediments allow retrospective assessment of Hg pollution in ASGM-impacted regions and evaluation of its temporal evolution.

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“…However, mining activities in FG are often not considered by such approaches or, in other cases, are analyzed through secondary or coarse data not fully accounting for the variability of such activities [32]. Indeed, gold is the main mineral commodity exploited in FG, and its extraction plays a key role in the historical and current socio-environmental and governance dynamics of the territory [39]. In addition, due to the heterogeneity of gold deposits, a wide variety of coexisting gold mines of different sizes and techniques (e.g., legal, illegal, artisanal, medium, large-scale) is distributed at the territory level, particularly over the two greenstone belts where gold mineralization mainly occurs [35,40] (Figure 2).…”

Section: Introduction 1mining Territories and Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Territorial Mining Scenarios for Sustainable Land-Planning: A Risk-Based Comparison on the Example of Gold Mining in French Guiana

2022

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Mining can be the source and target of opportunities and threats of different natures exceeding the mine site perimeter, affecting the socio-ecological system and leading to social conflicts and entrepreneurial risks for mining companies. Hence, a mining project is a matter of land planning rather than a simple industrial object. Nevertheless, current mandatory risk and impact assessment methods are often performed on one project at a time, neglecting the coexistence of different mining activities and the socio-ecological vulnerability of the territory where mining takes place. This paper proposes an original risk-based approach to develop and compare different territorial mining scenarios (TMSs) to support land-planning strategies in mining territories, tested on the French Guiana gold mining sector. Five TMSs combining different mine types (e.g., legal artisanal, medium, large-scale mining, illegal mining) were developed for the same total amount of gold production at the watershed level. For each TMS, both accidental and ordinary risk scenarios were assessed through a GIS-based approach considering watershed socio-ecological vulnerability. Risks were finally weighted according to different stakeholders’ perception, and the TMSs were compared based on their global risk scores. Despite the multiple challenges highlighted, this paper highlights the feasibility of a methodological framework to support mining planning at the territory level.

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The gold, peoples and multiple frontiers of French Guiana

Cited by 11 publications

References 28 publications

From Geodiversity to Geofunctionality: Quantifying Geodiversity-Based Ecosystem Services for Landscape Planning in French Guiana

From Geodiversity to Geofunctionality: Quantifying Geodiversity-Based Ecosystem Services for Landscape Planning in French Guiana

Evaluation of the Hg Contamination from Gold Mining in French Guiana at the Watershed Scale Using Hg Isotopic Composition in River Sediments

Territorial Mining Scenarios for Sustainable Land-Planning: A Risk-Based Comparison on the Example of Gold Mining in French Guiana

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