How do you solve a problem like mining?

Our mountains and our marine ecosystem is in serious trouble because of the rapid mining activities going on. All you have to do is look at our mountains famously known as the Red Mountain and you will know what I mean. I dread the day when instead of seeing a mountain, we will instead see a big hole in place of the mountain. I also dread the day when I couldn't buy fresh fish anymore from our markets as a result of mining.

The thing that I fear most is the destruction of our ecosystem as a result of mining. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out the effects of mining on our ecosystem. Here's a very instructive document from the United Nations University which discussed the effects of opencast nickel ore mining in New Caledonia similar to what miners are doing here:

New Caledonia Experience in opencast Mining

I qoute from the document: "Compared with other mining areas elsewhere in the world, the impact of opencast hilltop mining in New Caledonia has been exceptionally severe and extensive. Large areas have been decertified by the removal of weathered overburden from plateaux and hill crests, and by the spilling and slumping of waste material down hillsides and into neighbouring valleys. It is of course almost impossible to extract the nickel ores, which occur at the base of weathering mantles up to 30 metres deep on these summit plains, without conspicuous devastation; the only way would be to excavate a crater, leaving the rim intact, and working rotationally downwards through the overburden until the richest ores were encountered, although this would be very costly."

This document is very instructive in the sense that the devastating effects of this type of mining can be reversed only if amounts can be reinvested into reforestation. It takes years however for the effects of reforestation to take root. It is also mentioned in the document that only certain species of plants may thrive on this particular terrain because of the high mineral content of the soil.

One of the most severe impacts of mining is siltation of our river systems and eventually our marine ecosystems. Tailings from mining will go down to our river systems and to Carrascal Bay and Lanuza Bay. This will slowly choke the life out of our marine ecosystem. This will also affect our tourism potential since our islands will not have white beaches anymore but instead, clay-colored beaches. Just look at the island across Hayanggabon in Claver.

So how do you solve the problem like mining? Two ways: Stop the mining activities or the government must seriously implement measures to prevent the destruction of the environment if mining must really continue.