Ethics, science PMF Journal – No 1/2020 and conflict in the amber mines PMF.org PMF Journal Reviewers Journal of Applied Ethical Mining of Natural Resources and Selected members of the Amber Symposium Paleontology (PMF Journal) Selected members of the GRS Board of Directors Publisher: Peretti Museum Foundation (pmf.org) Production Editor: Matthias Alessandri, FGA GRS Gemresearch Swisslab AG (GRS), Meggen, Switzerland has a Contents: Article 82 pages, 160 illustrations cooperation and MOU with PMF. ISBN: 978-3-906905-11-2 The PMF Journal can be accessed for free after registration at Front Cover: A Burmese family from an Internally Displaced Person www.pmf.org/journal by stakeholders of the amber research camp head to an amber mine at Mine Khun, near Tanai, in December community or those with an avid interest in the field. 2017. They carry the minimal provisions, including a green tent and the illusion of an income from amber mining (snapshot from GRS film). All requests to be sent to the [email protected]. Copyright © 2020 by PMF (Peretti Museum Foundation, Baumschulweg 13, 6045 Meggen, Switzerland) SUBMISSION HISTORY AND IMPORTANT UPDATES 24 Apr 2020 PMF sent formal letter to SVP ADVISOR TO PMF JOURNAL 9 Jul 2020 Draft of article received by PMF Prof. Dr. Luis M. Chiappe Curator of the award winning Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History 16 Jul 2020 Draft of PMF Journal sent to SVP Museum of Los Angeles County, adjunct professor at the University of Southern California and AAAS Fellow 22 Jul 2020 PMF sent letter with witness accounts to UN Human Rights Council with copy to SVP GRS BOARD REPRESENTATIVE Dr. Detlef Günther 22 Jul 2020 SVP releases a statement reconsidering their total Zürich, Switzerland ban of Burmese amber, similar to the suggestions made by PMF FORMAL PMF ADVISORY BOARD see www.pmf.org/bylaws 1 Aug 2020 PMF content is cited in a comment to the letter of SVP dated 21 April 2020 by Haug J.T. et al., 2020 EDITORS Dr. Joseph J. Bevitt Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, New Illawarra Rd, Lucas Heights NSW 2234, Australia PMF Journal publishes research material and industry reports about, and of those whom are involved in the active and Dr. Juan D. Daza positive engagement with underprivileged and/or indigenous Vertebrates, Department of Biological Sciences communities, scientists in developing countries, with Sam Houston State University, 2000 Avenue I organisations providing income to alternative industries that Life Sciences Building, Room 105 compete with totalitarian or human rights violating regimes, Huntsville, TX 77341, USA and whom promote nature conservation, increasing safety standards and improved living conditions for miners, as well as Prof. Dr. Thomas Armbruster involving in humanitarian activities. Mineralogy and Crystallography, formerly University of Bern, Switzerland Dr. Adolf Peretti, EurGeol President of PMF and GRS, Switzerland 2 PMF Journal – No 1 / 2020 PMF.org Message from the editor Welcome to this, the Regarding SVP’s proposed ban on the publication of research based on Burmite material mined after 2017, first edition of the Peretti the International Palaeoentomological society (PE) Museum Foundation’s has issued a counter statement focusing on ethical Journal of Applied guidelines for the handling of Burmite. The varying positions between SVP and PE are unsurprising, Ethical Mining of Natural Resources given that the invertebrate group represents a major and Palaeontology (PMF Journal). stakeholder in the research of amber and is heavily impacted by SVP’s guidelines on ethical conduct. The concept for the PMF Journal has been in my mind for A host of major scientific publishers immediately many years. With over two decades of direct engagement adopted the SVP policy, in full, or in part, and are with all aspects of the mine-to-market gemstone industry, refusing papers on Burmite. This needs to be addressed I have been confronted with the vast inequalities that in a broader discussion that involves all stakeholders. exist in the sector, witnessed both reforms and declines in In recognition of the complex issues involving workplace safety, civil wars, and the transformation that the acquisition and study of Burmite, and following occurs when big industry and modernisation challenge, consultation with the Peretti Museum Foundation and and override proud, local traditions. Spurred by a other parties, on 22 July 2020, SVP published a collection recent letter by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology of publicly-available reports and guidelines on Myanmar (SVP) that sounded an alarm regarding the mining of amber, mining, human rights violations, and amber trade. Burmese amber, and the controversy that followed, I This first edition of the PMF reports upon a fact- have finally taken leave from the lab to establish this finding mission into the Burmite industry, providing journal, beginning with a deep-investigative dive into the useful maps of Burmese amber-mining areas and supply and trade of Burmese amber, or Burmite, and to reports on conflicts within those mining regions. It contribute to the discussion of how to ethically deal with, also analyzes official data on Burmese amber sales and conduct research on Burmite and the fascinating and reviews recommendations by the United Nations ancient wonders trapped within. Let this edition be a Human Rights Council (UN-HRC), which conducted call to others to join the conversation on ethical mining, a fact-finding mission on “The economic interests and to drive affirmative action by increasing public of the Myanmar military”, in September 2019. This awareness of current, and past inequality in the industry. information is urgently needed to inform members of the Recent reports have suggested that the acquisition paleontological community on the SVP recommendations, of Burmite involves several controversial aspects. In before irreversible decisions are made on the basis its letter (Rayfield, Theodor and Polly, 2020) the SVP of a less-than-thorough database of information. recommended a ban on all publications regarding Burmite In order to illustrate the realities described in produced after 2017, a recommendation that was met with the report, an appendix is supplied with full and considerable consternation amongst the stakeholders of powerful photographic witness accounts from remote the scientific community. Regarding ethical issues, during and often inaccessible Burmite mining areas. the European Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists The PMF seeks to create a venue where research th annual meeting in Haarlem, Netherlands, the (EAVP) 14 with the highest ethical standards can be published; crucial role of private museums was addressed without I expect that publications fulfilling these conditions mentioning the SVP recommendation. Our Foundation, as will set the bar high and can be used as an example of the operator of a private museum, appreciates this forum, best-practices to be followed in future publications. particularly as it provides advice on responsibilities and other educational matters; but more needs to be done. 3 PMF Journal – No 1 / 2020 PMF.org KEY WORDS Ethical Guidelines for Burmese auctions, amber, burmite, conflict, gemstones, scientists, Burmese military, Myanmar, Amber Acquisitions (Burmite) Rohingya, Human Right Council, by Adolf Peretti, Peretti Museum Foundation IDP, SVP, PMF. Baumschulweg 13, 6045 Meggen, Switzerland ABSTRACT The ethical implications involved in the acquisition of Burmite with fossiliferous, and in particular, vertebrate, inclusions have been discussed in detail in a number of scientific research, traditional, and social media outlets. At PMF we have compiled and analyzed information on the matter from a variety of sources, including maps of conflict versus non-conflict amber mines and statistics from state-run Myanmar Gem Enterprise (MGE) auctions as well as an analysis of trade volumes at amber markets. In addition, PMF has done a thorough review of a report by the U.N. Human Rights Council’s 2019 Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (UN-HRC) regarding human rights abuses by the Burmese military and security forces in regard to the international trade in amber. Based on our understanding of all the information, PMF has come to the following conclusions: • Amber sales from the officially sanctioned MGE auctions (which are seen as a possible contributor to the Burmese military’s war effort) from 2015-2019 account for less than 0.1% of the total sales of gemstones. Most of the revenue from the auctions involved sales of jade and other gems (99.9%), while no amber with vertebrate inclusions was recorded in official sales catalogs. • The complexity of the discovery process of vertebrate Burmite inclusions rules out the possibility of sponsoring the armed conflict. • The most important players in Burmite mining are from the private sector. The dominant major private enterprise in the amber mining sector was scrutinized in the UN-HRC report, but did not receive a ban for any amber mining activities. • No scientists involved in the acquisition of amber were found to have any connection to armed forces that carried out actions against the Rohingya people (see international press coverage), as shown in a review of market analysis and the scientists’ research activity. • The UN-HRC report recommends that the acquisitions of natural resources should be made through channels that are in opposition to the Burmese military regime. PMF agrees that business dealings in Burmese amber with vertebrate inclusions should continue to be done through indigenous people or those in Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps, as they have a 4 PMF Journal – No 1 / 2020 PMF.org theoretical advantage in this niche owing to their dominance of the important polishing sector of the middle market. It is during the polishing process that discoveries of amber with vertebrate inclusions are made. This potentially-abused and disenfranchised part of the local society should be encouraged to engage in the discovery of paleontological samples rather than hindered or blocked.