Post by diane9247 on Aug 20, 2015 6:37:33 GMT
The government of Peru began eradicating illegal mining settlements in the jungle in late 2014 after wildcat mining became illegal in 2012. In the most recent operation over three days this month, 41 wildcat miners were arrested, about six square miles (15 sq km) of blue tarp settlements were burned and some 10,000 people sent packing with little notice. "About 1,000 police and soldiers blew up 154 gasoline motors used to extract gold from the sandy soil."
After several decades of mining, 60,000 hectares of forest in Madre de Dios alone have been destroyed and so contaminated with mercury that the land may never support vegetation again. It will be nearly impossible to eliminate wildcat mining entirely because of the poverty of the population settling these areas, but it is hoped that the activity can be slowed. Most of the illegal gold ends up in the USA and Switzerland. Some of the blue tarp villages can be clearly seen on Google Earth in a large swath of the Madre de Dios region. "Environmentalists have called for the government to give land back to native communities, claiming that indigenous tribes would take better care of the land." Source
Above photos from this source.
Above two by XXSTRINGERXX for Reuters
Blue tarp settlements...
Crackdown on illegal mining.kmz (1 KB)
Alluvial mining, in which small gold flecks are sifted out of sandy sediments deposited by runoff from the Andes over centuries, is heavily dependent on mercury and the surrounding jungle has been poisoned by tons of the toxic metal.
A researcher for the Peruvian Environmental Rights Society, Lenin Valencia, says raids alone aren't enough to dislodge illegal miners.
"There is slowness in the criminal justice system to prosecute the chain" of businesses that extract the gold, which ends up being bought in U.S. and Swiss markets. Source
A researcher for the Peruvian Environmental Rights Society, Lenin Valencia, says raids alone aren't enough to dislodge illegal miners.
"There is slowness in the criminal justice system to prosecute the chain" of businesses that extract the gold, which ends up being bought in U.S. and Swiss markets. Source
After several decades of mining, 60,000 hectares of forest in Madre de Dios alone have been destroyed and so contaminated with mercury that the land may never support vegetation again. It will be nearly impossible to eliminate wildcat mining entirely because of the poverty of the population settling these areas, but it is hoped that the activity can be slowed. Most of the illegal gold ends up in the USA and Switzerland. Some of the blue tarp villages can be clearly seen on Google Earth in a large swath of the Madre de Dios region. "Environmentalists have called for the government to give land back to native communities, claiming that indigenous tribes would take better care of the land." Source
Above photos from this source.
Above two by XXSTRINGERXX for Reuters
Blue tarp settlements...
Crackdown on illegal mining.kmz (1 KB)
