Current state, prospects and problems of the gold mining industry of the Trans-Baikal Territory

Abstract

The article considers the current state, problems and prospects of gold mining in the Trans-Baikal Territory. There has been an increase in the volume of gold production from ore and placer deposits over the past 5 years. Placer deposits make up a significant part of the total production volume. The reduction of reserves in placers and the decrease in the quality of minerals in them open up new prospects for the extraction of precious metals, namely in ore gold mining. The extraction of placer gold, even with the best existing technologies, remains a sector of high environmental risk, in many settlements there is a gradual decline in the population and the “extinction” of settlements, as well as illegal gold mining is gaining momentum. Neither regional nor federal environmental supervision bodies have the opportunity to resist the destruction and degradation of nature from the extraction of placer gold. In general, this leads to an increase in the negative impact of placer gold mining on natural complexes and socio-economic sustainable development of regions and municipalities on the territory of which this type of activity is carried out, an increase in accumulated environmental damage.