PRADD Rapport d'Etude MARP dans les Zones - Land Tenure and ...

11. Micro Credit: No formal system exists for miners to receive loans to open and operatemining sites. This makes miners even more dependent on collectors, who often provide initialfunding in return for diamonds upon production.12. Financial Management: Miners do not save their money. As income is earned it is expendedon the consumption of manufactured goods and alcohol abuse. There are no banks in the pilotarea to provide savings opportunities.13. Socio-cultural: Foreign nationals from other regions of CAR and neighboring countries arecommon in the surveyed mining areas. This can lead to conflicts between indigenous minersand other actors in the diamond production chain. There are specific laws in place that forbidthe entry of foreigners into mining areas but these are no longer enforced and foreigners oftenprocure false documents to ensure access to mining sites.14. Belief in ghosts/spirits: Many miners believe that diamond production and discovery iscontrolled by supernatural spirits. This view is shared by actors at every level of the chain ofcustody.15. Local Natural Resource Management (NRM): Traditional NRM practices have been indecline for some time. Mining communities attribute this trend to the dilution of local culturethrough the influx of foreigners. These ‘outsiders’ are commonly seen as having less respectfor the natural environment.16. Environmental: Many mining holes not filled after the mine is exhausted, deforestation isrampant, uncontrolled bush fires are common, fishing and game populations are reduced, andrivers are heavily polluted. This environmental degradation affects mining communitiessignificantly.17. Social: Many social problems are found in mining communities. These include drug andalcohol abuse, violence, poor educational attainment, and disinterest in agricultural activitiesleading to food insecurity.18. Destruction of Sacred Places: Miners expressed willingness to dig up family members’bodies if it is thought that the location may hold diamonds. This drive to find diamonds hasreduced the moral and cultural values of the communities. Local leaders feel that this trend islargely driven by the dilution of indigenous customs by foreign workers who care only for thediscovery of diamonds.MARP STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS1) Support the Ministry of Mines in its political efforts to establish mining cooperatives. This willboth aid miners and allow for more accurate data collection on mining activities in CAR.2) After demographic surveys are completed, PRADD will support a pool of superintendents whowill serve as facilitators for upcoming technical trainings.3) Site managers need to be trained in the proper documentation of mining activities, diamondvaluation, and the philosophy behind the Kimberly Process.4) The mining code of CAR needs to be translated into the national language of Sego and bedistributed to mining communities. Artisanal miners should have direct access to officialdocuments such as the Mining Code so that they can prevent abuse by authorities and becomebetter informed on their rights and obligations.5) Support the zoning of mines. This initiative needs to be supported by a number of actors includingthe Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Water and Forestry, and NGOs to protect the naturalenvironment and allow for cooperative use of resources by miners, farmers and loggingcompanies.PRADD CAR –ETUDE MARP DANS LES ZONES PILOTES DE BOULAYE, BOSSOUI ET NGOTTO 5