Researchers mapped mining-related deforestation along a major river and in a protected reserve.
Gold mining often releases mercury into the environment, which can be very harmful for human and ecosystem health.
In the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, a global craving for precious metals has changed life for local communities. As prices remain relatively high and it retains its reputation as a safe investment, the true costs of gold extraction ripple through the rainforests of Peru, affecting everything from fish to birds of prey, and even local human residents. Along the way, trees continue to be felled to make way for mining rigs and makeshift homes that ultimately feed the world’s appetite for the elemental metal.
More than 30,000 artisanal gold miners are estimated to be active in just the Madre de Dios Department of Peru – which is Spanish for “Mother of God.” In March of this year, the Monitoring of the Andean Amazon Project (MAAP) revealed that 1,700 hectares of gold mining-related deforestation occurred in the La Pampa region of the Madre de Dios Department of Peru. Two months later in May, further evidence shows another 850 hectares of deforestation caused by gold mining in the Upper Malinowski River, a little west of La Pampa.
These figures were calculated by MAAP’s unique approach to monitoring deforestation – an analysis of satellite imagery with a specialized software program called CLASLite developed by the Carnegie Institute for Science. By comparing satellite imagery of the same location taken at different periods in time, the MAAP team, consisting of members of the Amazon Conservation Association, is able to carefully calculate actual deforestation levels, without ever needing to set foot in the area itself.
Mongabay.com
