The Exigency and How of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Classification

Despite the undeniable contribution of small-scale and artisanal mines (ASMs) in the mining industry and small-scale enterprises (SMEs), no clear and comprehensive definition has been provided. Each country and governorate have defined this sector. However, ASMs are entirely different from large-scale mines (LSM). Therefore, collective decision making will not lead to successful results for this sector. A review of previous definitions provided by the various developing countries is a sign of disagreement over a single definition in the first part of the paper. Therefore, in the next section, the objectives of presenting a definition and its effects at different levels for different countries, especially developing countries (Africa, Asia, and Latin America), are examined. Then, the definitions to obtain the main criteria of a single definition were gathered. Apart from this, it should be noted that the presentation of a single definition also depends on internal criteria and inter-organizational interactions to achieve the most appropriate case. Therefore, in the last section, a multi-criteria definition consisting of four elements of mineral characteristics, amount of human resources, amount of investment, and an annual financial statement was presented.