Artisanal mining and the use of plant diversity

Abstract

This essay presents the variety of vegetation which is utilized in traditional mining activities in the municipalities of Cértegui (Subdistricts of: Cértegui cabecera, La Toma y Recta Larga) and the Panamerican Union (Subdistricts of Animas, Agua Clara and Quiadó). The data is a product of an ethnographic investigation which selected 57 active traditional miners of the local population in the project’s area of influence to demonstrate a sample of the “Application of techniques and practices for cleaner production in gold and platinum mining in the department of Chocó”. These miners aided in recognizing, collecting, photographing, and identifying 78 species of vegetation used in activities associated with traditional mining such as: separation of metals (separating gold from jagua, settling the greasy gold and blackening the troughs), creating traditional tools (troughs, sifters, mining tools to store save and weigh gold) to work in different types of traditional mining (‘guaches’ or pits, mazamorreo or barequeo (gold-panning), hoyadero (underground mining), zambullidero (underwater mining), canalon (sluice box), agua corrida (streaming water), cuelgas (channels) and arrimadero), and confirming the affectivity by performing demonstrations of the separation of gold from jagua with mucilaginous strata of vegetation. Examples of this vegetation include: snakewood (Cecropia peltata), rhombus-leaved sida (Sida rhombifolia), Common Broom (Pavonia fruticosa), Shoeblackplant (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), Balsa tree (Ochroma pyramidale) and Guácimo (Apeiba tibourbou).