Illegal mining

Aerial view of La Pampa gold mine's illegal expansion into Peru's Tambopata National Reserve.

Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission. Illegal mining is the extraction of precious metals without following the proper procedures to participate in legal mining activity. These procedures include permits and licenses for exploration of the land, mining and transportation.[1] 

Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the case with artisanal mining, or it can belong to large-scale organized crime,[2] spearheaded by illegal mining syndicates.[3][4] On an international level, approximately 80 percent of small-scale mining operations can be categorized as illegal.[5] Despite strategic developments towards "responsible mining," even big companies can be involved in illegal mineral digging and extraction, if only on the financing side.[6]

Large-scale mining operations are owned by large companies nationally and use advanced technology to extract metals; these operations use open-pit mining.[7] Artisanal small-scale mining operations are labour-intensive mining because miners do not use machinery to extract the metals.[7] Informal mining occurs when artisanal small-scale mining operations proceed in mining activity without the proper legal licenses.

These operations are still illegal but it is not an indictable offence such as illegal mining operations organized by criminal groups.[7] Organized crime groups lead and control illegal mining activity in extremely rural areas where the state does not have full jurisdiction over the land.[1] Criminally organized illegal mining controls large-scale operations that violate all the laws and environment while mining.[7] Corruption in privately owned large-scale mining and artisanal small-scale mining operations occurs because the operations delegate their power to local authorities.[1] The lack of coordination allows loopholes for corruption. The laws and procedures surrounding mining lessen the impact on the environment and are violated by large and artisanal small-scaling contributing to environmental damage.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Criminal offences: illicit trafficking". December 3, 2014. doi:10.18356/f6c93ebf-en. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2024. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ Zabyelina Y, van Uhm D. Illegal Mining: Organized Crime, Corruption, and Ecocide in a Resource-Scarce World. Palgrave. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  3. ^ Sieber N, Brain J (2014). "Health Impact of Artisanal Gold Mining in Latin America". ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America. Harvard University. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  4. ^ Huerbsch B, Spiro J (2016). "Illegal Mining in South America and Financial Risk - Taking the Shine off Gold" (PDF). Thomson Reuters: Risk Management Solutions. Thomson Reuters. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 13, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Hentschel, T., Hruschka, F., Priester, M. (2003). "Artisanal and small-scale mining: challenges and opportunities". International Institute for Environment and Development, London. http://pubs.iied.org/9268IIED/ Archived September 21, 2018, at the Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ Castilla O, Amancio N, Lopez F (2015). "The Companies Accused of Buying Latin America's Illegal Gold". InSight Crime. Archived from the original on January 3, 2016. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
  7. ^ a b c d Malone M, Malone-Rowe C (2014), "Transnational Organized Crime in Latin America", Transnational Organized Crime: An Overview from Six Continents, 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks California 91320 United States: SAGE Publications, Inc., pp. 57–74, doi:10.4135/9781483349091.n4, ISBN 978-1-4522-9007-2, archived from the original on April 2, 2024, retrieved March 9, 2024{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)