Dear Eos:
Greetings from the River of Gold! This photo of the Río Nechí, or Río de Oro (River of Gold), was taken on 6 July 2023, in the municipality of Zaragoza in Antioquia, Colombia. This river is the cradle of vast biodiversity, but it is also one of the most polluted in the country due to mercury emissions associated with mining activities.
My doctoral research, conducted with my adviser, Kathleen Smits, seeks to document and characterize the use of local plants by artisanal gold miners. In Colombia, this ancient practice, which has been ignored for years, could represent a more environmentally responsible alternative to mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining.
By highlighting the importance of local knowledge in formulating engineering projects, we can contribute to more sustainable mining in the country.
—Linda Jaramillo Urrego, Southern Methodist University, Dallas