Restoration of Degraded Lands and Alternatives in Artisanal Mining Areas: Sustainable Development Perspectives from Democratic Republic of Congo

Artisanal mining is one of the activities that mobilizes a large number of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for their livelihoods and survival. However, these activities are carried out without prior environmental impact assessment, leading to consequences such as ecosystem degradation, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and slope instability. In addition, artisanal miners abandon sites after exploitation, but measures are not taken for the remediation and restoration of post-mining degraded land. Therefore, it is essential to develop an integrated approach for the management and the development of alternatives in post-mining areas. In this context, a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental factors) analysis of artisanal mining stakeholder roles using a participative approach for the restoration of degraded lands and the development of alternatives in post-mining areas was conducted to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the DRC. It appears that the formalization of artisanal mining activities, capacity building of state actors and enabling artisanal miners to adopt low-impact mining techniques, best regulations practices, revalorization of mining tailings and remediation practices will contribute to the reduction of the impact of mining activities on the environment as well as the optimization of mining production. Moreover, artisanal miners, organized in cooperatives for financial inclusion, must be at the center of the process of restoring lands that are degraded by their activities. For this, their opinions and their effective participation must be considered from the planning stage until the execution of the restoration plans.