Lake Clark is a spawning destination for a portion of the largest wild sockeye salmon run in the world. Photo: NPCA Photos (Flickr)

Within Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed lies the world's largest sockeye salmon runs — and one of North America's largest chinook (also known as king) salmon runs — nine major rivers, many ponds, and an abundance of animals. But plans to build a massive Pebble Mine could put the biodiversity of this 40,000 square mile watershed at risk, according to a recent report by National Geographic.

Bristol Bay watershed is also home to the largest deposit of gold in the world and one of the largest of copper. It's also the proposed location for the Pebble Mine. The mine would range up to two miles wide and 1,700 feet deep, with plans for an underground mine of similar scale. The minerals would be extracted by both open-pit mining and a complicated underground method. In addition the mine will require a mill, damlike impoundments, a slurry pipe, and a haul road. The article points out that likely acidic runoff from the mine would be disastrous for fish. "When a sulfur-bearing ore such as the Pebble deposit is exposed to air and water, it produces sulfuric acid, which accelerates the dissolution of copper and other minerals. The resultant metal-laden, acidic cocktail can kill fish and other organisms."

The indigenous Yupik have depended on the flora and fauna in the region for thousands of years. Some area residents worry about the long-term effects the mine will have on the natural environment and those who rely on it. National Geographic reports that "[t]wo elders, believe the threat the Pebble Mine poses to the creeks, rivers, and lakes where salmon spawn also endangers the culture the fish have sustained for centuries.”

But, other residents are singing to a different tune. Lisa Reimers, who heads the Iliamna Development Corporation, is concerned for other reasons. "Outsiders want us to go back to the old ways," she tells National Geographic, adding that "some mine opponents promote a self-serving, sentimental view that ignores what it actually takes to survive."

John Shively, CEO of the Pebble Partnership and once commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources says, "The mine would provide some 2,000 construction jobs and 800 to 1,000 operating jobs." And he hopes to see half of the operating positions go to people living around Bristol Bay. Shively reiterated to National Geographic that "the design of the mine is more environmentally sensitive then ever before."

There is no doubt the Pebble Mine could bring economic fervor to Bristol Bay. But, the gold and copper won't last forever, as the article points out. "The value of this mother lode ranges between $100 billion and $500 billion. But unlike the value of the salmon fishery year in and year out—upwards of $120 million—once these geologic riches are gone, they will never come back."

As plans for the area develop, area residents are faced with one of the toughest and most consequential decisions they will ever be forced to make.

Golden nugget. Photo: craig.hamnett (flickr)

Imagine this: Finding a piece of gold worth enough to change your life. Now think of what you could do with that money. You could buy that car you've always wanted, maybe open your own business, or travel the world. This is what is fueling a boom in gold prospecting in Northern Sudan. According to the Los Angeles Times, people from all over Sudan and surrounding areas are flocking to this region in order to dig for gold, hoping that they will be the one to strike it rich.

But it’s not only glitz, glamour, and fantasies which bring people here. Sometimes it’s a matter of survival. The L.A. Times suggests that many of these prospectors -- even college graduates -- have experienced extreme difficulties finding jobs in a country where nearly half the population lives in poverty. So they come to the desert, tools in tow, and begin the long and often unrewarding search for gold.

But the conditions are harsh. In the last year and a half, 40 people have died from malnutrition, thirst or injuries sustained from fighting with other gold diggers.

So why do people stay even after they find gold? Babiker Adam, a farmer who has joined the prospecting contagion, explains the draw to the L.A. Times.

"When you find the gold, it attracts you to stay longer. You will never say, 'I've got enough gold.' Never. I am staying here for two months. My children ask me to come home. But the gold is asking me to stay so I can have more. This is a chance in a lifetime."

With the recent economic turmoil and the declining value of the dollar, some people are turning to gold for economic security in their time of need. In recent months, the price of gold has jumped to a high of nearly $1,000 per ounce.

In light of this, the World Bank’s private branch, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has helped finance AngloGold Ashanti and Newmont Mining to open gold mines in the rich reserves of Ghana. These organizations claim that by developing the region's resources, they will be able to stimulate economic growth and pull the country's people out of poverty.

However, several NGOs in the region and the above Al Jazeera report claim that is the exact opposite of what this initiative has accomplished. Ghanaians in the west have been experiencing harder times as a direct result of the gold mines. Only the multinational companies that own the mines seem to be reaping the economic benefits. According to Al Jazeera, only 3 percent of the gold profits go back into Ghana.

To build the mines, these companies have also taken over many of the villagers’ farmland where they live and work. Many of the land owners of the region claim that the companies did not compensate them enough for their precious land. The people who worked on the farms were also only paid for a single harvest. Without these farms, many of these farmers have nowhere to live and no way to survive.

Furthermore, Oxfam and FIAN claim that the companies are not respecting the rights and safety of the nearby villagers. Community water sources have been polluted from improper drainage from the worker housing compounds and from the disposal of dangerous chemicals used in mining.

The development of the gold mines could lead to greater problems for Ghana on a national scale. The fertile lands of western Ghana allow even a small farm to be self-sustainable for several generations, which has helped to keep Ghana’s food stores stable. However, by favoring the gold mines over farms, Ghana may eventually begin to suffer the effects of the food crisis that is already plaguing many of its neighbors.

Despite record prices, the real beneficiaries of Ghana's gold remain questionable. Is it the people of Ghana, as the IFC and the mining companies insist, or is it the mining companies themselves?