Historical and Modern Government Responses to Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining
Modified from: Telmer K. and Persaud A. (2013) Historical and Modern Government Responses to Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining. Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (RMMLF) and the International Bar Association, Special Institute on International Mining and Oil & Gas Law, Development, and Investment , Cartagena, Colombia , April 22-24, 2013. Summary Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) is an industry that has existed for millennia. But the most important periods (simply by production volume) are the two phases: (1) the 19 th century gold rushes - roughly 1849 to 1929 (80 years), and (2) the modern ongoing gold rush – roughly 1970 to present with a big kick in 1980, (40 years and continuing). The earlier phase primarily took place in English or former English colonies described as “liberal democracies” [1] (US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa) and played a key role in the economic development and the evolution of governance systems in thes...