Illegal gold rush destroying Amazon’s rain forest, says research report
Researchers used satellite imagery and government data to identify at least 2,312 illegal mining sites in six countries in South America
A rise in small-scale illegal gold mining is destroying swathes of the Amazon rain forest, according to research released on Monday that maps the scale of the damage for the first time. Researchers used satellite imagery and government data to identify at least 2,312 illegal mining sites in six countries in South America: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Venezuela. The maps show the spread and scale of illegal mining and were produced by the Amazon Socio-environmental, Geo-referenced Information Project (RAISG), which brings together a network of nonprofit environmental groups in the Amazon. “The scope of illegal mining in the Amazon, especially in indigenous territories and protected natural areas, has grown exponentially in recent years, with the rise in the price of gold,” said Beto Ricardo, head of the RAISG. Prices soaring over a decade to 2010 sparked a gold rush. Hundreds of thousands of illegal miners poured into the Amazon rain forest hoping to strike it rich. T...
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