NATIONAL ACTION PLAN on the use of Mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Ecuador, in accordance with the Minamata Convention on Mercury May 2020 National Action Plan on the use of Mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Ecuador, in accordance with the Minamata Convention on Mercury Photos: Cover page. Clockwise: AGC; AGC; Goran Šafarek; AGC; Morley Read p. 15: Goran Šafarek; p.16: Morley Read; p.50: Kseniya Ragozina. All other photos: AGC Note on Translation This version of the National Action Plan on the use of Mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Ecuador, In accordance with the Minamata Convention on Mercury has been translated from the original version in Spanish. All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the trans- lation, however for any discrepancies, the original Spanish should be referred to. The National Action Plan was developed with the support of the following partners and institutions. PREFACE he Government of Ecuador is firmly committed to addressing environmental pollution that results from inadequate industrial development, unrestrained use of resources, or lack of Tknowledge in the management and use of chemical substances, as well as hazardous waste, through the design and implementation of policies and regulations that address the issue from a national perspective and under international guidelines such as the ratification of global environ- mental conventions. Ecuador is a hugely diverse country in which several ecosystems coexist, divisible into four main regions: the marine coast, the Andean highlands, the eastern Amazon and the Galapagos Islands. It is throughout this diversity present in various places of the national territory, where mineral resources have been used by groups of people through generations who have dedicated themselves to the exploitation and use of these resources. Mining in Ecuador has mainly been developed since the previous century in an artisanal way or as small-scale mining. One of the worst practices implemented as part of these activities has been the use of mercury, for the amalgamation process and subsequent recovery of gold. This activity, recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the worst, threatens human health as well as the environment, has been widely applied for years and years not only in this country, nor only in the Latin American region, but globally in places as remote as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Central Africa, to name a few. For this reason, in a global effort and after a process of more than a decade of development, in October 2013 the Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted among 128 signatory countries. It represents a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury, and which Ecuador ratified in July 2016. The current Constitution is the first in the history of humanity that grants rights to nature and recognizes the need to guar- antee a healthy and balanced ecosystem for future generations. To fulfill these rights and safeguard diversity, health and the environment, the Ecuadorian State through the Ministry of Environment and Water (MAAE) works on the implementation of measures and the execution of projects focused on the adequate management of chemical substances, as well as its corresponding waste, in an integrated way with other governmental, private, NGO and civil society actors involved in this type of management. With the entry into force of the Minamata Convention in August 2017, Ecuador has launched several projects of national interest, including in the year 2018 an initial evaluation of the presence of mercury in different areas and its main applications, including gold mining, and most importantly the following document that contains the “National Action Plan (NAP) on the use of mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASGM) of Gold in Ecuador”, which represents a road map with responsible parties, 3 National Action Plan on the use of Mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Ecuador, in accordance with the Minamata Convention on Mercury strategies and specific lines of action, which together allow the country to comply with the provisions of Article 7 of the Minamata Convention, which establishes measures to reduce and, when feasible, elimi- nate the use of mercury and mercury compounds in ASGM gold. This Ministry expresses its appreciation to all the institutions and people who contributed to the elaboration of this plan, especially to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the Artisanal Gold Council, as implementing and executing agencies, as well as to the Public Health Ministry, Ministry of Energy and Non-Renewable Natural Resources and the Institute of Geological and Energy Research as members of the project’s National Executive Committee. The National Action Plan is an example of the country’s commitment and capacity to work in coordination with the different levels of Government and other sectors of civil society in the face of the challenges posed by the pres- ence of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities in Ecuador. Mgs. Paulo Arturo Proaño Andrade Minister of the Environment and Water 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations and Acronyms 9 Executive Summary 13 Introduction and Background 16 1. National Outlook 19 1.1 Previous experiences related to the problem of mercury use in ASGM . .19 1.2 Geographical distribution of ASGM . .21 1.2.1 Artisanal Mining. 21 1.2.2 Small-Scale Mining . .22 1.2.3 Results of the ASGM diagnostic study for the NAP. 23 1.3 Mining and ore processing . .27 1.3.1 Primary Mining. 28 1.3.2 Alluvial Mining . .31 1.4 Reference estimates of the amount of mercury used in ASGM . .32 1.5 Legal and regulatory framework for ASGM and mercury use . .34 1.5.1 Current regulatory status of the gold ASGM sector . .38 1.5.2 Illegal Mining . .38 1.5.3 Leadership and organization of gold ASGM at a national and local levels .40 1.6 Commerce and demand for mercury . .43 1.7 Economic aspects. 44 1.8 Demographic and social information . .45 1.8.1 Women working in ASGM. 46 1.9 Environmental information . .47 1.10 Health information . .48 5 National Action Plan on the use of Mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Ecuador, in accordance with the Minamata Convention on Mercury 2. National Reduction Objectives and Targets 51 2.1 National objective. 51 2.2 Principles. 51 2.3 Strategies. 52 2.4 National targets. 55 2.5 Development of strategies. 56 2.5.1 Miner formalization/regularization strategy. 56 2.5.2 Strategy for reducing discharges and risks related to mercury exposure and eliminating worst practices . .61 2.5.3 Strategy for the control of illegal trade and use of mercury. 65 2.6 Strategy for the reduction of illegal mining . .68 2.6.1 Public health strategy for the provision of services to the population exposed to mercury due to ASGM activities . .70 2.6.2 Strategy pertaining to gender issues and child labor in ASGM . .72 2.6.3 Strategy for participation and information transfer between all interested parties in the implementation and continuous development of the action plan . .74 3. Implementation Plan 76 3.1 Miner formalization/regularization strategy. 76 3.2 Strategy for reducing discharges and risks related to mercury exposure and eliminating worst practices . .82 3.3 Strategy for the control of illegal trade and use of mercury. 87 3.4 Strategy for the reduction of illegal mining . .90 3.5 Public health strategy for the provision of services to the population exposed to mercury due to ASGM activities . .94 3.6 Strategy pertaining to gender issues and child labor in ASGM . .96 3.7 Strategy for participation and information transfer between all interested parties in the implementation and continuous development of the action plan. 99 4. Monitoring and Evaluation 103 4.1 Monitoring of execution tasks. 103 4.2 Impact indicators . .104 5. Bibliographical References 107 Annex A: Terms of References for the Work Group 109 Annex B: National Baseline for Gold ASGM in Ecuador 113 Annex C: Gender Strategy 114 Annex D: Conformity with Annex C of the Minamata Convention 124 6 Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Gold ASGM mine sites and zones in Ecuador, identified within the national inventory. 26 Table 2: Key results from the gold production and mercury use inventory study carried out in Ecuador, with 2018 as a base year . .33 Table 3: Summary of the legal and regulatory framework of gold ASGM in Ecuador and mercury use in these activities. 35 Table 4: Comparison of different types of metallic ore mining and their fiscal and environmental obligations . .36 Table 5: Institutional map for ASGM management in Ecuador. 41 Table 6: Key strategies and objectives for approaching the issue of reduction / elimination of mercury from ASGM Ecuador . .55 Table 7: National targets for the reduction of mercury use and discharges in ASGM. 57 Table 8. General impact indicators for different strategies . .106 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Location of artisanal mining activities in Ecuador.. 22 Figure 2: Location of small-scale mining activities in Ecuador.. 23 Figure 3: Gold ASGM areas map in Ecuador. .24 Image 1. Grinder and chanchas . .28 Image 2. Panning and choking processes. 28 Image 3. Wheel mill - Chilean mill . .29 Image 4: Gutters of the Chilean mill . .29 Image 5: Cyanidation plant. 30 Image 6. Tailings of a Chilean mill . .30 Image 7: Flotation – Serrano cells . .31 Image 8: Flotation – Denver cells. 31 Image 9: Loading of ore to the zeta-type sieve. ..