Studies about Kyrgyz small-scale mining were conducted by the World Bank and the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.
Using the technology, they were able to share their experiences with fellow miners in Ghana, where small-scale mining has been going on for years.
People survive either from agriculture or from small-scale mining of gold or colombo-tantalite, an ore used in mobile phones that makes its way to the outside world through Uganda or Rwanda.
Now, the legacy of all that research and exploration is the growing likelihood of large-scale mining operations, fuelled by rising mineral prices, in many parts of the ocean in the coming decades.
BBC: UK Seabed Resources joins deep-ocean mineral-mining rush
And some additional, much less happy news from Australia, as Unesco and environmentalists warn that climate change and large-scale coal mining may lead to the wholesale destruction of the Great Barrier Reef.
Bergeron also pointed to the general condition of the mining sector on a global scale.
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On October 28th Fortescue reversed its long-standing public optimism and announced it would curtail expansion, a huge blow given the importance of scale in efficient mining of iron ore.
ECONOMIST: Fortunes in the mining business come and go faster than ever
Some mining companies are already starting to scale back investment.
At the very least, small-scale and low-tech gemstone-mining could be a fall-back for the country's beleaguered herders.
Profit-based taxation in Quebec for mining companies is already considered high on a global scale, let alone in North America.
FORBES: Parti Quebecois' Suggestion To Raise Quebec Mining Royalties Rate Could Be Damaging
De Beers is active in every category of industrial diamond mining: open-pit, underground, large-scale alluvial, coastal and deep sea.
FORBES: Anglo American Receives Final Regulatory Approval for De Beers Acquisition
Because of its scale and prominence, Yanacocha may hold the key to mining's future in Peru.
ECONOMIST: Big mining and its increasingly radical opponents
Mining began in July, and the company expects to reach commercial scale in six months, with annual production goals of 3.1 million ounces of silver and 61, 000 ounces of gold.
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