US-Ghana International Workshop: Resilience Approaches to Understanding Environmental Health Impacts of Small-Scale Gold Mining Sector, March 2008, Tarkwa, Ghana

该研讨会将建立一个研究基础设施，将美国科学家和来自学术界以及卫生和采矿部门的加纳专家联系起来，讨论应对与小规模金矿开采相关的环境和人类健康问题的弹性方法。目前，加纳约有50万男女受雇于小规模采矿，其中大多数人是非法经营的。这些矿工经常被指控破坏环境的做法，可能对健康造成灾难性的影响。我们打算将污染的复杂社会文化、环境和地形空间联系起来，并提出减轻污染的创新解决方案。在2008年3月在加纳塔尔克瓦举行的为期四天的科学研讨会期间，我们提议召集32名美国和非洲科学家(包括13名学生)和4名小型矿工，他们都对采矿和健康调查感兴趣或正在参与调查。美国科学家隶属于宾夕法尼亚州立大学、达拉斯得克萨斯大学、北得克萨斯大学和武装部队病理研究所，代表地球科学、地理、生态、医学、社会学和工程学领域。加纳与会者代表加纳大学、夸梅·恩克鲁马科技大学和矿业技术大学，以及采矿界、Dunkwa区医院、矿产委员会和两个非政府组织。R.Amankwah(共同--PI)将是加纳方面的主要组织者，主要负责筹备和主办讲习班，而所有其他被列入名单的共同--优先事项将协助组织、收集文献、选择研究地点和编写后续研究提案。通过将这多个专家组聚集在一起，我们打算解决目前科学辩论中小规模黄金开采的社会经济驱动因素(贫穷和缺乏替代生计)、减少环境污染和退化的技术战略以及改善采矿人口健康状况的教育努力之间的脱节问题。研讨会的具体目标如下：1)首次将不同的研究人员和专业人员聚集在一起，评估小规模黄金部门关于人类和环境健康的最新知识和知识差距；2)确定关键的跨学科主题并制定创新的研究议程；3)起草三项不同的研究和教育建议大纲，随后提交给国家科学基金会；4)制定矿业社区能力建设的初步议程，将研究成果付诸实践。智力价值：在非洲小规模采矿部门，尚未从整体角度评估有毒污染、环境退化、疾病、贫困和风险缓解。我们提出了一种人类健康的创新生态系统方法，该方法基于对复杂社会生态系统中复原力的理解，将健康优先事项纳入贫困和边缘化人群生活的其他关键要素。通过我们的研讨会和随后的研究建议，我们打算促进关于生物、物理、社会、经济和政治环境的变化对人类健康的影响的跨学科知识。通过从弹性的角度构建生物环境健康和采矿，我们预计将深入了解为什么以及如何让女性和男性金矿矿工在明显高风险的环境中坚持下去。广泛影响：通过邀请不同的参与者，包括初级和高级教师、本科生、硕士和博士生，以及美国和加纳的研究人员，我们拟议的研讨会和新兴的研究基础设施将加强两大洲之间的专业交流和专业知识。学生、研究人员以及采矿和卫生专业人员将在整个研讨会期间参与集体学习活动，以促进研究和教育的融合。新的概念将被纳入到学术课程开发、教学和推广中。最终，这一新的研究平台预计将有助于改善加纳和其他非洲国家边缘化采矿人口的福祉。

This Workshop will build a research infrastructure that will link US scientists and Ghanaian experts from academia as well as the health and mining sectors to discuss a resilience approach to environmental and human health issues related to small-scale gold mining. Currently, roughly 500,000 men and women are employed in small-scale mining in Ghana, most of whom operate illegally. These miners are often accused of environmentally destructive practices with potentially disastrous health impacts. We intend to contextualize the complex socio-cultural, environmental, and topographical spaces of contamination and propose innovative solutions for mitigation.During a four-day science workshop to be held in March 2008 in Tarkwa, Ghana, we propose to assemble 32 US and African scientists (including 13 students), all of whom are interested or currently involved in mining and health investigations, and four small-scale miners. The US scientists are affiliated with the Pennsylvania State University, the University of Texas in Dallas, the University of North Texas, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and represent the fields of geosciences, geography, ecology, medicine, sociology, and engineering. The Ghanaian participants represent the University of Ghana, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Mines and Technology as well as the mining community, the Dunkwa District Hospital, the Minerals Commission, and two NGOs. R. Amankwah (Co-PI) will be the main organizer on the Ghanaian side, responsible mainly for preparing and hosting the workshop, while all other listed Co-Pls will assist in the, collection of literature, selection of study sites, and the preparation of subsequent research proposals. By bringing together these multiple groups of experts, we intend to address the current disconnect in the scientific debate between socio-economic drivers of small-scale gold mining (poverty and lack of alternative livelihoods), the technological strategies to reduce environmental contamination and degradation, and educational efforts to improve health conditions among mining populations.The specific objectives of the workshop are as follows: 1) bring together, for the first time, diverse researchers and professionals to assess the state-of-the-art knowledge and knowledge gaps on human and environmental health in the small-scale gold sector; 2) identify key interdisciplinary themes and develop an innovative research agenda; 3) draft the outline of three distinct research and educational proposals to be later submitted to NSF; and 4) develop a preliminary agenda for capacity building in mining communities to put research results into practice.Intellectual merit: In the African small-scale mining sector, toxic contamination, environmental degradation, disease, poverty, and risk mitigation have not been assessed from a holistic perspective. We propose an innovative ecosystem approach to human health that, based on the understanding of resilience in complex social-ecological systems, integrates health priorities into other key elements of poor and marginalized people's lives. Through our workshop and the subsequent research proposals, we intend to advance interdisciplinary knowledge on the impact of changes in biological, physical, social, economic, and political environments upon human health. By framing bioenvironmental health and mining from a resilience perspective, we expect to gain insights into why and how women and men gold miners persist in an apparently high-risk environment.Broader impacts: By inviting a diverse set of participants, including junior and senior faculty, undergraduate, master's, and PhD students, and American and Ghanaian researchers, our proposed workshop and emerging research infrastructure will intensify professional exchange and expertise between two continents. Students, researchers, and mining and health professionals will engage in collective learning activities throughout the workshop that promote the integration of research and education. Novel concepts will be incorporated into academic curriculum development, teaching, and outreach. Ultimately, this new research platform is expected to contribute to improved well-being among marginalized mining populations in Ghana and other African countries.