The Case for Community Self-Governance on Access and Benefit Sharing of Digital Sequence Information

Digital sequence information (DSI),  a placeholder term commonly understood to refer to information related to genetic sequences stored in a digital format, has become a foundational component to biological research and its applications, including biodiversity conservation and biotechnological innovation. DSI results from the physical access to and use of genetic resources, which falls under the purview of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (NP). The CBD and the NP are legal frameworks governing access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their use, a mechanism widely known as access and benefit sharing (ABS). Despite good intentions, a number of national regimes adopted in pursuance of the CBD and NP have created complex, ineffective frameworks that exacerbate the risk of counterproductive effects for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use. The debate on DSI focuses on what DSI includes, whether it is covered by the CBD or the NP and the possible implications of its inclusion or exclusion from these agreements. The CBD and NP parties agreed on a science- and policy-based process to debate the treatment of DSI. This process entailed the submission of views and information by parties, other governments, indigenous and local communities, and relevant organizations and stakeholders; the commissioning of technical studies; and the establishment of the Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on DSI. In the present article, we propose recommendations that can contribute to the upcoming discussion on DSI.Fil: Adler Miserendino, Rebecca A. Lewis Burke Associates; Estados UnidosFil: Meyer, Rachel Sarah. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Zimkus, Breda M. Harvard University; Estados UnidosFil: Bates, John. Field Museum of National History; Estados UnidosFil: Silvestri, Luciana Carla. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales; ArgentinaFil: Taylor, Crispin. American Society Of Plant Biologists ; Estados UnidosFil: Blumenfield, Tami. University of New Mexico; Estados Unidos. Yunnan University; ChinaFil: Srigyan, Megha. University of California; Estados UnidosFil: Pandey, Jyotsna L. American Institute Of Biological Sciences; Estados Unido

Challenges to measuring, monitoring, and addressing the cumulative impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Ecuador

: Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) Cumulative impacts Cumulative effects assessment and management (CEAM) Trans-boundary water pollution Cross-scale policy mitigation methods Portovelo-Zaruma, Ecuador a b s t r a c t Portovelo-Zaruma, Ecuador is an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) region with approximately 6000 gold miners working with mercury and cyanide. Although artisanal gold mining (AGM) has taken place in Portovelo-Zaruma for centuries, highly mechanized small-scale gold mining (SGM) processing plants capable of increased throughput began being built in the 1990s. While there are benefits associated with ASGM, there are also negative impacts experienced by the miners and the surrounding communities. To take advantage of ASGM as a poverty-alleviating mechanism while reducing unwanted externalities, the cumulative impacts must be understood. Numerous challenges to measuring, monitoring, and addressing ASGM impacts result from the complexity of the impacts themselves, the nature of the gold mining as an informal industry, and the shortfalls in the current regulatory framework. These are discussed in the context of ongoing, unresolved issues including efforts to address trans-boundary water pollution, management of mining waste, and conflicts regarding priorities, ambiguities, and enforcement of existing regulations and policies. Internationally, interventions to address both AGM and SGM impacts have typically focused almost exclusively on technological changes through the elimination of mercury use. Our analysis suggests that to better address ASGM and their cumulative impacts in Ecuador, it will be beneficial to revisit the legal definitions of AGM and SGM. Additionally, promotion of information-based strategies including educational outreach programs and cross-scale and cross-level mitigation methods may also be beneficial. The success of these strategies to reduce ASGM-related cumulative impacts will depend on sufficient funding and the commitment of stakeholders

Mercury Pollution in Amapá, Brazil: Mercury Amalgamation in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining or Land-Cover and Land-Use Changes?

Mercury (Hg) poses a public health burden in the Amazon and worldwide. Although usually attributed to Hg used in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), the primary source of elevated Hg in Amazonian aquatic ecosystems is contested since there have not been tools to differentiate between Hg from ASGM and Hg from other sources such as increased soil erosion associated with land-cover and land-use change. To directly assess Hg contamination from ASGM, stable Hg isotope analyses were applied to sediment cores, surface sediments, and soils from two aquatic ecosystems in Amapá, Brazil, one downstream of ASGM activities and one isolated from ASGM. Downstream of the ASGM sites, the Hg isotope data is consistent with elevated Hg coming dominantly from increased erosion of soils and not from Hg used during gold extraction. Although these two sources represent different pathways of contamination to downstream ecosystems, ASGM may contribute to both land-cover and land-use change and local contamination of soils. Accordingly, these findings demonstrate that in some regions of the Amazon effective Hg mitigation strategies need to address land-use practices in addition to ASGM