News Reports Shed Light on the Issue of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining in Protected Areas and Critical Ecosystems The case-study reports and toolkits, now available on the ASM-PACE Programme's website www.asm-pace.org , reveal that the issue of ASM in "PACE" cannot be ignored: if miners and their communities are not engaged and the issues are not managed constructively, they will escalate to further developmental and environmental problems. There are an estimated 20 million artisanal miners in the world today and their contribution to the global production of minerals include: 80% of all sapphires, 20% of all gold and up to 20% of all diamonds. With at least 24 types of minerals being mined artisanally in PACE locations, ASM occurring in or around 96 of 147 protected areas evaluated by the ASM-PACE Programme including 7 natural World Heritage Sites and at least 12 WWF Priority landscapes, tropical rainforests, coral reefs and arctic landscapes are under threat. This issue is becoming an urgent priority for conservationists and mining advocates alike. Current reports and toolkits available for download: Global Solutions Study - a study on the scope and scale of ASM occurring in "PACE" locations worldwide, a summary of its known environmental impacts in these places, documentation of eight management strategies that have been used to manage the issue in these places, and initial recommendations for action. Liberia -- a study of ASM in Sapo National Park and the effectiveness of the Government eviction strategy implemented in 2005 and 2011. Gabon -- a