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In the land where the climate talks are taking place....out of view
Peru's
rainforests turn to desolate wastelands
BY ELIZABETH PIERSON
8
December, 2014
Peru’s
beautiful rainforests have transformed into unrecognizable, desolate
wastelands.
Decades
of illegal gold mining in the southeastern region of Madre de Dios
has destroyed more than 230 square miles of forest, and poisoned the
rivers with the mercury used in the excavation process. This
deforestation accounts for about 40% of Peru's greenhouse gas
emissions, contributing to global warming, and harming the local
population.
In
an attempt to diminish the destruction, authorities began enforcing a
ban on illegal mining in the region. This spring, they ordered the
state’s illegal miners to either operate under legal guidelines, or
halt operations entirely.
And
though many have fled, the area is still home to the people who rely
on the gold to make a living.
- Miners known as "Maraqueros" ready a rustic type of hydraulic jet known locally as a "chupadera," after hauling the device about 16 meters deep into a crater at a gold mine.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS
A boy searches for gold at an illegal mine. People at the mine are working up to the last minute, while they fear authorities will arrive at any moment, as part of a government crackdown and nationwide ban that took effect in the spring
IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESSA miner carries hoses inside an illegal gold mine. Peru first criminalized unlicensed gold mining in 2012, but only began enforcing the law vigorously this year with serious manpower and explosives. The operations have displaced thousands of the estimated 40,000 people who authorities say moved to the jungle to mine gold.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESSWater streams over carpets that filter the earth and water at an illegal gold mine.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESSA miner with an axe digs for gold using a rustic technique known as "chiquiquiar." After the government crackdown on illegal mining companies in April, the miners who stayed behind are reduced to rudimentary gold extraction using pickaxes, shovels and small motors.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESSJoel Macedo, 25, and his wife Nilda mine for gold without the use of machinery. Macedo had been earning $1,071 dollars per month as a heavy-machinery operator before the government crackdown on illegal mining companies. The father of two says he now struggles to earn a quarter of that, and his wife now pitches in. “She works with me because we have nothing to eat,” he said.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS - Miners take a break from one of their 28-hour shifts to eat lunch outside the mine.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Mercury is used to help bind the gold together, making it easier to collect and mine. The mercury is then burned off after it is mined, leaving the gold behind. The mercury has ravaged forests and poisoned rivers in a biodiverse region that is also home to tribes living in voluntary isolation.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Two soldiers look at a drone, used by the Peruvian Air Force, to track illegal mining activity, as they prepare for an operation to eradicate illegal gold mining camps. Less than a month before Peru plays host to global climate talks, the government sent a battalion of police into southeastern jungles to dismantle illegal gold-mining camps. Peru’s anti-illegal mining czar, retired army Gen. Augusto Soto, marched the men to the wasteland known as La Pampa, where 50,000 hectares of rainforest have been obliterated in the past six years.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Policemen occupy a gold mining camp as part of an operation to eradicate illegal mining in the Madre de Dios region.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS
- Machinery used for illegal mining burns after authorities blew it up in the Madre de Dios region. More than 1,500 soldiers, police and marines have been ordered to destroy illegal gold mining machinery in Peru’s southeastern jungle.IMAGE: RODRIGO ABD/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Like the poachers who shoot the remaining Rhino, Whales and Elephant,the poor and desperate do the deed for someone with deep pockets miles away. Earth Wrecked.
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