Phytoremediation project in Colombia

By Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

October 22^nd, 2024

A new project in Colombia, supported by EGP, focuses on how plants can be used to clean up contaminated environments. The method is called phytoremediation, and it can be included in the mine closure process.

A milestone in the project took place in June when a technical training, led by the Universidad del Valle, was carried out with the participation of 10 people from the rural communities of the Mindalá Community Council in the municipality of Suarez (Cauca), a region with a high ecological and cultural richness, with strong roots through ancestral economies such as gold mining.

This first workshop began with a theoretical session on the concepts of toxicity and impacts of mercury on both human health and the environment. This is a serious problem when heavy metals such as mercury are used for gold extraction. In this context, an introduction was made on the phytoremediation method as a Nature based Solution for mercury capture by means of plant species, and on the methods for collecting samples of the different variables to be measured (e.g. water, soil, flow rate and plant species) for the evaluation of contamination by this metal. From this theoretical basis, a visit was made to a gold extraction processing plant, where the participants carried out a practical session in a nearby stream on water sampling and flow measurement calculation.

The active participation of community members in a phytoremediation project is vital for its success, especially in areas affected by mercury use in the gold mining sector. By involving local stakeholders, the project not only fosters environmental stewardship but also builds trust and ownership. This collaboration involving the academia and local community members seeks to enhance environmental governance, while also empowering communities with knowledge and skills to address mercury contamination, creating sustainable solutions that are deeply rooted in the local context, ensuring long-term ecological and social benefits.