Zambezi River Basin

Thereafter copper production progressively declined reaching a low of 307 000 tonnes per year in the 1980s due to depressed world prices. Copper production declined at the turn of the millennium due to firming world prices and favourable investor policies. With increasing copper production levels, Zambia witnessed severe but localized land degradation and deforestation.

hydrological system is affected by physical and chemical damage caused by digging in river channels, banks and their flood plains, as well as contamination of river water with mercury and cyanide, which are used in processing gold (Shoko and Love 2005; Billaud et al. 2004). Environmental impacts of isolated small-scale gold panning activities may not be significant, but an accumulation of numerous panning operations can create problems for both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (Zwane et al. 2006).

© Manuel Malaze, ARA ZAMBEZE

Awoman and her family panning for gold inMozambique.

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