As the gold price reaches all-time high, Conservation X Labs report unveils critical insights on technologies to counter negative impacts of artisanal gold mining

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Conservation X Labs (CXL) today released a report on the outcomes and lessons learned from its Artisanal Mining Grand Challenges conducted between 2019 and 2022. The Challenges awarded over $1.75 million in prizes and funding to innovators working to address the environmental and social impacts of artisanal mining globally, and of artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) in the Amazon. 

In March 2025, the price of gold reached new all-time highs, nearing $3,000 per ounce and increasing incentives for gold mining. The ASGM sector is responsible for producing nearly a quarter of the world's gold supply while also contributing to mercury pollution, deforestation, and ecosystem degradation—particularly in biodiversity hotspots across the Amazon, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Now more than ever, we need new solutions. From supporting pioneering satellite systems that track illegal mining to copper plates that recover mercury from mining waste, the Artisanal Mining Grand Challenges seeded a new generation of solvers and accelerated the development of solutions to transform the ASGM sector.

CXL ran the Challenges with support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Andes Amazon Fund, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Microsoft, in partnership with the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation (CINCIA) and a consortium of 22 partner organizations.

Key outcomes highlighted include:

• Accelerated development of ASGM solutions: Innovations advanced across four categories: actionable and monitoring data, cleaner mining tools, remediation and restoration, and supply chain tools. Of them, 94% successfully increased their technology readiness levels through field-testing, mentorship, and training.
• Increased global awareness and a new generation of solvers: The Challenges attracted applicants from 39 countries with finalists from 10 countries, with eighteen finalist teams selected to test and refine their solutions in real-world mining environments in Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, and Peru. 56% of finalist teams had never applied for USAID funding before, opening up new possibilities for USAID procurement and localization. The Challenges and supported innovations have garnered at least 210 press mentions across media outlets to date.
• Financial leverage: Innovators have raised over $7.1 million in follow-on funding, with every Challenge dollar helping to catalyze $1.93 in additional investment. Exposure through the Challenges helped donors in identifying promising new solutions to support through grantmaking, as well as position innovators to apply for funding from donors and investors. Major supporters such as USAID, the Moore Foundation, and the World Bank have gone on to fund initiatives that strengthen ASGM regulations, promote mercury-free technologies, and increase community engagement.

The report identifies critical success factors for open innovation in this space, including flexible funding, experienced technical partners, local field-testing partners, and opportunities for cross-pollination.

Despite progress, the report notes significant barriers remain for technological solutions supporting responsible ASGM, including fragmented funding landscapes, weak formalization, regulatory gaps, and lack of dedicated revenue streams for solutions in the sector.

As funders and practitioners develop future solutions, it is critical to build the evidence base to allow for collective learning and adaptive management.

"We've learned that transforming the artisanal gold mining sector requires innovative technologies in combination with strong local partnerships and enabling conditions," said Daphne Yin, Director of Impact at CXL and lead author of the report. "The solutions supported through these Challenges demonstrate significant potential. Their ultimate success depends on continued collaboration across sectors and sustained investment to create pathways to scale."

To address these challenges, CXL and partners propose a network of place-based Innovation Hubs to advance existing solutions to scale, fill critical innovation gaps, and strengthen the ASGM innovation ecosystem. These hubs would facilitate partnerships between communities, governments, research institutions, and the private sector to create integrated solutions spanning the supply chain.

"Place-based innovation hubs can bridge the gap between scientific breakthroughs and real-world implementation by providing sustained support for cleaner mining technologies, traceability systems, and restoration efforts," said Luis Fernandez of Wake Forest University's Sabin Center for Environment and Sustainability and CINCIA. "By embedding these hubs within ASGM-affected regions, we can ensure solutions are tested, adapted, and deployed where they are needed most. These hubs will foster collaboration among scientists, technologists, policymakers, and miners—accelerating the adoption of solutions that prevent deforestation and land degradation while promoting more sustainable economic alternatives."

"The ultimate goal is to demonstrate and scale innovations that can facilitate a transition to environmentally and socially responsible ASGM," said Marion Adeney, Director of Fire and Amazon Programs at CXL. "We invite funders, the ASGM community of practice, and organizations working in environment, development, and public health to collaborate with us in this effort."

Notes to editors

The full report is available in English at Gold Reimagined: Outcomes & Lessons from Open Innovation to Transform the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining Sector, while a Spanish version of its executive summary is available here.

Find out more about the Artisanal Mining Grand Challenge: The Amazon here.

About Conservation X Labs

Conservation X Labs operates at the intersection of biodiversity, technology and innovation to drive groundbreaking solutions to prevent the sixth mass extinction. By deploying cutting-edge technology, convening communities of interdisciplinary brilliance, and leveraging the power of the marketplace, CXL is uniquely positioned to boldly confront the planet's most pressing challenges. Founded in 2015, CXL has partnered with a wide range of public, social, and private organizations to launch global innovation challenges and has developed award-winning technologies in collaboration with institutions around the world. Learn more at www.conservationxlabs.org.

Media Contact:
Lindsey Garrison
lindsey@conservationxlabs.org 
Conservation X Labs

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