Article on Gold Mining in Tanzania co-authored by AC4 Director and EPS Team

“Understanding Environmental, Health and Economic Activity Interactions Following Transition of Ownership in Gold Mining Areas in Tanzania: A Case of Private to Public“ is now available online in Land Use Policy, Volume 79, December 2018, Pages 650-658.

The article presents applied research conducted by the AC⁴ Environment, Peace and Sustainability Team and is co-authored by Sophia Rhee, Elias Charles Nyanza, Madison Condon, Joshua Fisher, Theresia Maduka, Anja Benshaul-Tolenen.

Abstract
Mining is an important source of revenue for many developing countries, however, the social, environmental and economic impacts of mining are often poorly monitored. The recent transition of a gold mine in Western Tanzania—from large-scale gold mine under private, multinational ownership, to medium-scale public and national owned mine with limited life length offers a prime opportunity to understand the implications of changes in ownership and scale on the local economy and community well-being. We conducted 44 semi-structured interviews with community members in four villages adjacent to the mine site. We find that the local economy and public service provision contracted in response to the mine transition and downscaling, with ramifications for food security and healthcare access. Community members also highlighted the lack of information surrounding the mine transformation. This illustrates that considering the post-transition phase of large-scale mines is important for providing long run sustainable livelihood strategies in mining communities.

Read the full article: https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0264837718302692?token=566B3AE814AF1F1C0654815C1BD93144F945C2354256371838C98326276C6F819F72C496FDBF733817A311EFC58833DD