Small-scale gold mining in and around streams damaging to fish habitat
Using excavators in or near streambeds to dig up gravel and sand in the hunt for gold can be devastating for fish and fish habitat, says the BC First Nations Energy and Mining Council, which is calling for a moratorium on placer mining in B.C.
“Placer mining destroys stream channel stability, eliminates pools, spawning beds, wetlands and other key fish habitat, and removes critical streamside shading vegetation,” says a study by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre. “It drastically reduces fish populations. In addition, placer mining devastates riparian habitats – amongst the most productive of all terrestrial wildlife habitats, and a rich source of medicinal plants.
Provincial regulations governing placer mining are outdated, the council says, and “remains rooted in nineteenth-century gold rush laws and policies that ignore Indigenous rights and continue to fail to mitigate serious environmental harms.” “Placer mining activity has continued unabated since our first call for action, and it is time for B.C. to finally recognize and address the substantial harm this industry inflicts on First Nations communities and the environment at large. A moratorium on new placer claims and leases is the first step in bringing the Mineral Tenure Act into accord with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
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