Management Challenges on Small-Scale Gold Mining Activities in Brazil

This article presents a focused study of environmental management in small-scale gold mining, called garimpo, at the Tapajós River in the Amazon basin (Brazil). Environmental management is necessary in this very important area not only for Brazil but for the general world welfare. The fact that this is a very dispersed area, with a very low economic and education level, complicates the issues. Added to these factors are legislation, administration, and control processes which are shown in their historical, technical, health, and economic aspects. Using systemic integration, the article describes how the inherent interests of each part directly or indirectly involved may be articulated to result in self-control. The same approach reveals also the potential conflicts. Some existent proposals are analyzed with regard to the extent to which they can work, given the described aspect.