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T1 Analysis of Formalization Approaches in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Sector Based on Experiences in Ecuador, Mongolia, Peru, Tanzania and Uganda: Mongolia Case Study
A1 United Nations Environment Programme, 
K1 gold mine
K1 Mongolia
YR 2012
FD 2012-06
LK https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/31218
UL https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/31218
NO Rural Mongolians traditionally have relied on livestock husbandry as an economic activity to support their nomadic lifestyle. In the early 1990s, due to the collapse of the socialist system Mongolia’s GDP fell by about 20% and many industries closed resulting in high unemployment and a dramatic increase in poverty. Additionally, recurrent drought and severe winters between 1997 and 2002 led to the death of many livestock. It is estimated that 7 million head of cattle and other livestock died, pushing rural communities into extreme poverty and economic desperation. Some Mongolians found an alternative livelihood in the country’s vast, easily accessible, and rich near-surface mineral deposits, tailings from former Soviet era mines, and abandoned underground mines. As a result, a large rural population became engaged in artisanal mining pioneered by experienced former mine employees who knew the location of various potential deposits. With, this a new phenomenon called “ninja miningiii” emerged.
DS UN Environment Document Repository
RD Sep 16, 2026