Gold rush moves closer to Amazon’s second-tallest tree

Gold rush moves closer to Amazon’s second-tallest tree

Illegal gold miners are now operating very close to the second-tallest tree in the Amazon Rainforest, Mongabay’s Fernanda Wenzel reported in April. Six giant trees, including a red angelim (Dinizia excelsa) that stands 85 meters (279 feet) tall, are found inside the Iratapuru River Sustainable Development Reserve in Brazil’s Amapá state. Despite the area’s protected status, […]

How Myanmar’s gold rush threatens international rivers

In Mong Len, a rural area in Myanmar’s eastern Shan state, 35-year-old farmer Sai U stood helplessly as his cattle fell – poisoned by the water that had long sustained his family, fields and livestock.“They drank the water, took a few steps, and just collapsed,” he recalled. The pond was fed by Nam Kham, or “Golden River,” a stream that flows down from Loi Kham – “Golden Mountain”. The name is inspired by gold flecks said to shimmer in the soil.…