Impact of COP 21 on artisanal mining in DR Congo

The principle of prevention is omnipresent in Congolese legal instruments particularly in the laws the mining code and the environmental code. They influence the orientations of each sector of environmental policy. Virtually all of the legal mechanisms put in place by the Congolese legislator have preventive effects. The principle of prevention also allows for a teleological interpretation of regulatory texts in the sense of better environmental protection. Mining activity can disrupt the earth''s environment: soil air and water. The major challenges of artisanal mining are therefore to delineate extract and process mineral resources while causing the least possible disruption to our ecosystem. It is imperative that the Congolese state which is rich in geographical potential get its act together and implement laws and a mining code with a particular emphasis on the protection of the environment that can be useful for mining. This book has the merit of presenting the damage that artisanal mining is doing.