The newly published Swiss Better Gold Impact Report 2025 outlines the association’s work to support responsible gold value chains for artisanal and small-scale gold and reflects on key developments over the past year. Among them is the expansion of its Board to include civil society voices, including Dr. Fernando Fernandez of the Wyss Academy for Nature.

The newly published Swiss Better Gold Impact Report 2025 reflects on the Swiss Better Gold Association’s work to support responsible gold value chains from mine to market and on key developments in its governance. Among them is the expansion of the Board to include civil society representation. Elected at the association’s General Assembly in June 2025, Dr. Fernando Fernández, Senior Research Scientist at the Wyss Academy for Nature, is one of two civil society representatives and also serves on the Accreditation Committee. 

As a member of the Accreditation Committee, Fernando contributes to the review of accreditation applications and discussions on due diligence, traceability, and continuous improvement. Swiss Better Gold, a nonprofit association working to strengthen responsible gold value chains from mine to market, says this broader Board composition is intended to widen perspectives and strengthen trust in how the association is governed. 

Fernando leads an interdisciplinary project in the Tambopata Solutionscape in Peru, working with Wyss Academy colleagues from the Research Team, Global Policy Outreach, and Hub South America, as well as academic and civil society partners with a local presence. The project has built a data ecosystem to support better decision-making in artisanal and small-scale mining. His work in the Tambopata Solutionscape in Peru “Maintaining multifunctional landscapes in a tropical forest frontier” focuses on generating actionable evidence for responsible gold mining practices. It includes sustained engagement with miners and other stakeholders on cleaner technologies, research on the demand for “ethical” gold from the Amazon, and work on traceability and value-chain accountability. 

For the Wyss Academy, Fernando’s role on the Board shows how grounded research can contribute beyond academia in shaping strategic decisions for the artisanal gold sector. It places field-based insight in conversations about accreditation, transparency, and responsible sourcing, while linking knowledge, practice, and decision-making in a sector where progress depends on cooperation across the value chain. At its core, this reflects how the Wyss Academy works, connecting science, action, and policy so that grounded evidence can inform decisions where they are made.