The Unregulated Frontier: A Legal Analysis of the Environmental Impacts of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (Asm) In Eastern Cameroon and the Inadequacy of the 2023 Mining Code
Keywords:
Environmental Degradation, Ecological Vulnerability, Social Vulnerability, Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), Eastern CameroonAbstract
The dense forests and mineral-rich river systems of Eastern Cameroon are experiencing an environmental crisis driven by the largely unregulated expansion of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM). While ASM provides a critical livelihood for hundreds of thousands, its operational practices characterized by mercury amalgamation, deforestation, and river siltation pose a severe threat to ecosystems and human health. This paper argues that Cameroon's 2023 Mining Code, despite its intent to modernize the sector, remains inadequate in addressing the root causes of environmental degradation. Through an analysis of the Code's provisions on formalization, environmental management, and enforcement, this paper concludes that the legal framework fails to provide a coherent, practical, and sufficiently robust mechanism to mitigate the environmental externalities of ASM, thereby perpetuating a state of ecological and social vulnerability.
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