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

potential importance of record keeping and documentation of their annual production and revenues.However, they are reluctant to use this system due to a combination of lack of education on properprocedures, the influence of collectors who may not want data to be collected accurately, the scarcityof discoveries, and the difficulty encountered in obtaining the notebook/certification from thegovernment.MAJOR CONSTRAINTS TO ARTISANAL DIAMOND MININGThis MARP study identified a number of limiting factors to the development of artisanal diamondmining in CAR:1. Technical: Miners have very limited capacity to invest in local initiatives or businesses todiversify their sources of income. Miners also require training in the appropriate use of theproduction notebook system of record keeping.2. Access to Information: Most miners have little or no knowledge of the mining code in CAR.This often exposes miners to abuses by the Brigade Minière including raids, seizure ofdiamonds, and arrest. The miners also do not know the rules governing forestry, tourism, orother local industries and this leads to clashes with conservation workers and withgovernment Ministries. Many of the necessary documents and official Codes are availableonly in Bangui, and in French.3. Education: Thanks to poor education, many miners are illiterate, have not completedsecondary school and are unwilling or unable to demand changes to the artisanal miningsystem.4. Valuation: Miners are largely unable to determine the value of the diamonds they discover.Miners base values on vague criteria and often do not receive fair value from the collectorswho purchase their diamonds. There is a private institution in Bangui that offers training indiamond valuation but it is too expensive for most miners. The ideal situation would be toestablish similar institutions in mining areas. If this training was locally available at a morereasonable cost, miners could become educated on diamond valuation and receive fair pricesfor diamonds.5. Political: The government is very weak in these isolated areas. Little has been done on statemanagement of mines. There is virtually no policy coordination between governmentministries on NRM or other policy issues. Additionally, the government of CAR does notknow the value or quantity of diamonds produced by artisanal miners.6. Organizational: Most miners work individually. This limits both their productivity and theirpotential for organization and cooperative action. Because of the limited educational levels ofminers, they are more easily taken advantage of by collectors when working and sellingdiamonds individually.7. Divisive Communities: Miners group themselves along ethnic and family lines. Theyrecognize that it is not in their interest to serve the collectors and buying offices, but theyfully admit that there is no trust between miners. The hope for personal success trumps thebenefits of collective action. There is no sense of unity or harmony between artisanal diamondminers, despite their common cause and profession.8. Economic: Because of the many actors involved in the diamond chain of custody, there is notenough profit to go around, with laborers and small mine owners receiving the smallest share.9. Land Cadastre: The lack of a mining cadastre for CAR has resulted in disorderlymanagement practices and a lack of coordination for land use by the forestry and miningsectors in CAR.10. Monopoly of Collectors: The mines in all three pilot sites are effectively controlled bygroups of well known collectors who are able to set and control prices through collusion.4 PRADD CAR –ETUDE MARP DANS LES ZONES PILOTES DE BOULAYE, BOSSOUI ET NGOTTO