Paper short abstract:

Our contribution analyzes the transformative and destructive mode of production of gold mining at Bocanda by emphasizing the impact of the connection of local actors with those of Asian origin.

Paper long abstract:

From the Rio de Janeiro Summit in 1992 to the Johannesburg Summit in 2002, "the environmental issue has given rise to many reflections and recommendations regarding its conservation, because the planet has never experienced such an ecological impoverishment". Identified by the United Nations in 2002 as one of the factors contributing to this degradation, the artisanal mining of gold is gaining ground. In Côte d'Ivoire, it is a real scourge favored by the generosity of nature in some parts of the country. The Department of Mines and Geology has at least 241 clandestins gold mining sites and a gold mining population of 23,400. The department of Bocanda located in the Center-East of Côte d'Ivoire is often cited as a favorite area for this illegal activity.

The means used, the extractive modes and the actors mobilized follow a connection of local with international investors often Asian. This type of gold panning generates extraction models, often at the base of the transformation of production relationships, modification of the relationship of individuals with the natural environment and disturbance of various equilibria. What is the expression visible in Bocanda?

Our contribution analyzes the transformative and destructive mode of production of gold mining at Bocanda by emphasizing the impact of the connection of local actors with those of Asian origin. The basic data are mainly based on field surveys and a compilation of information made available to us by the services of the Ministry of Mines and Geology of Côte d'Ivoire.