Quarterly Report: CINCIA-ACIERTA Activity, January 1, 2022–March 31, 2022

This report describes CINCIA-ACIERTA activities and results for the period January 1, 2022, to March 30, 2022. Notable achievements during this quarter include CINCIA's groundbreaking research being featured in stories in the New York Times, CBS News, Forbes, Scientific American, Science, and Mongabay among other global publications. This global-scale coverage reported on a ground-breaking study that revealed mechanisms of how mercury released into the air by ASGM contaminates pristine old-growth rain forests. The study, conducted in partnership with Duke University and other top research groups, was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications on January 28, 2022. CINCIA's work on designing mercury pollution monitoring programs will be disseminated by the United Nations to 128 countries through a forthcoming CINCIA-authored technical guide that will be published by the United Nations Environment Programme. After CINCIA's Mercury Program Coordinator, Dr. Claudia Vega, presented on the CINCIA mercury program at a side event at the 4th Council of Parties (COP4) of the UN Minamata Convention on Mercury, representatives of UNEP and the Minamata Secretariat indicated that several country actors in Africa showed interest in the CINCIA strategy and methodology to access and monitor mercury pollution from ASGM sources. CINCIA released a White Paper detailing the scientific evidence on the expected environmental impacts of artisanal gold mining in rivers and lakes in the Peruvian Amazon. This white paper was released in an online event and posted on CINCIA's webpage, further reinforcing CINCIA's position as a leading technical institution on the topic of ASGM impacts in the Amazon. The release was timed to correspond with the current debate in the National Congress on re-authorizing ASGM in rivers, and with the work by the Peruvian Ministry of Mines on designing a new regulatory structure for the recently passed Law on Small Scale and Artisanal Mining. CINCIA and the Regional Department of Education of Madre de Dios (DRE-MDD) signed an MOU on February 8, 2022, to expand innovation in environmental education in Madre de Dios. This agreement will facilitate the inclusion of CINCIA content and teaching methods in the DRE's curricula for primary and secondary education in MDD. CINCIA and the National Amazonian University of Madre de Dios (UNAMAD) established a scholarship committee for the new CINCIA-UNAMAD Small Grants program supported by the CINCIA-ACIERTA project. Challenges during this quarter included the replacement of both the governors of the departments of Madre de Dios and Loreto due to corruption charges, which throws progress and effective governance in doubt in both regions. Candidates for the upcoming Regional and Municipal elections, scheduled to take place later this year, include candidates who have been linked to corruption and support for illegal activities. CINCIA is tracking these races to gauge possible impact on project activities and outcomes. Major activities planned for next quarter include CINCIA's Mercury Program developing a mercury baseline study for Loreto, and starting the design of CINCIA's new analytical mercury laboratory. CINCIA and its Loreto collaborators will launch a major awareness campaign on the negative environmental impacts of ASGM. CINCIA's Education and Policy Impact team will produce radio spots, TV microprograms, and podcasts to reach the Loreto public. CINCIA will complete the hiring of the Loreto office. CINCIA will submit several papers to peer-reviewed journals for publication next quarter on biodiversity and deforestation, natural regeneration of post-mining landscapes, successful case studies of the use of biochar in landscape restoration, and ASGM-related mercury contamination.