Peru steps up fight against illegal gold mining as activity enters protected Amazon reserve
Authorities say weekly raids have destroyed about 115 motors in three months as they try to cut off miners’ profits and protect Indigenous communities.
- Peru has increased efforts against illegal gold mining in the Madre de Dios region by deploying navy personnel to raid mining sites in the Amazon rainforest to stop activity in protected areas.
- Mercury from illegal gold mining contaminates waterways, harming wildlife and Indigenous communities dependent on fishing.
- Authorities have destroyed about 115 mining motors used to extract gold worth $4,000 to $7,000 daily in raids over several months.
- Officials recognize that raids alone are insufficient and are pursuing financiers funding the illegal operations to disrupt the cycle of mining activity and profits.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Eight Peruvian Navy personnel jumped from a helicopter to a clearing opened by illegal miners in the Amazon rainforest along the Malinowski River, in the Peruvian region of Madre de Dios, lifting sand and dust whirls as they ran towards the mining site.
A worrying situation confronts the villagers of Puerto San Juan de Dios, in the district of San José de Lourdes, province of San Ignacio, after a stretch of the road that connects with Puerto Chinchipe disappeared due to the advance of the river. Neighbors attribute this situation to the alleged alteration of the channel due to illegal mining activities in the area. During an investigation by the Office of the Attorney General for the Environmen…
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