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，讨论一种应对与小规模金矿开采有关的环境和人类健康问题的复原力方法。目前，加纳约有50万男女受雇于小型采矿业，其中大多数是非法经营。这些矿工经常被指控破坏环境，对健康造成潜在的灾难性影响。我们打算将污染的复杂社会文化、环境和地形空间置于背景中，并提出创新的缓解方案。在2008年3月在加纳Tarkwa举行的为期四天的科学研讨会上，我们提议召集32名美国和非洲科学家（包括13名学生），他们都对采矿和健康调查感兴趣或目前正在参与其中，以及4名小型矿工。这些美国科学家隶属于宾夕法尼亚州立大学、达拉斯德克萨斯大学、北德克萨斯大学和美国武装部队病理研究所，代表了地球科学、地理学、生态学、医学、社会学和工程学等领域。加纳与会者代表了加纳大学、夸梅·恩克鲁玛科技大学和矿业技术大学以及矿业界、敦克瓦地区医院、矿产委员会和两个非政府组织。R. Amankwah（共同负责人）将是加纳方面的主要组织者，主要负责准备和主持研讨会，而所有其他列出的共同负责人将协助收集文献，选择研究地点，并准备后续的研究建议。通过汇集这些多组专家，我们打算解决目前在科学辩论中存在的脱节问题：小规模金矿开采的社会经济驱动因素（贫困和缺乏替代生计）、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。讲习班的具体目标如下：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)起草三个不同的研究和教育建议大纲，随后提交给NSF；4)制定采矿社区能力建设的初步议程，将研究成果付诸实践。知识价值：在非洲小型采矿部门，有毒污染、环境退化、疾病、贫穷和减轻风险尚未从整体角度进行评估。我们提出了一种创新的人类健康生态系统方法，基于对复杂社会生态系统复原力的理解，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。通过我们的讲习班和随后的研究建议，我们打算推进关于生物、物理、社会、经济和政治环境变化对人类健康影响的跨学科知识。通过从恢复力的角度构建生物环境健康和采矿，我们希望深入了解女性和男性淘金者为什么以及如何坚持在明显高风险的环境中。更广泛的影响：通过邀请各种各样的参与者，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，我们提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、采矿和保健专业人员将在整个讲习班期间参加集体学习活动，促进研究和教育的结合。新概念将被纳入学术课程开发、教学和推广。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矿业人口的福祉。

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.