Peru: government cracks down on illegal Amazon gold miners
Peru's security forces cracked down on illegal gold mining operations in the Amazon region of Madre de Dios in late February, with army troops putting several dredges on the region's rivers to the torch. According to the Environment Ministry, some 20,000 hectares of rainforest are destroyed and 45 tons of mercury dumped into local rivers each year due to the dredging operations. (Reuters, Feb. 20)
The local indigenous alliance FENAMAD issued a statement supporting the government's drive to bring miner's under formal title and environmental regulation, but rejecting the use of military force against the miners as "incompatible with democracy," calling it a "false solution to a problem that has social and economic roots." (La Republica, Lima, Feb. 26)
See our last posts on Peru and the struggle for the Amazon.
Please leave a tip or answer the Exit Poll.
Recent Updates
12 hours 14 min ago
12 hours 18 min ago
12 hours 28 min ago
12 hours 48 min ago
13 hours 25 min ago
2 days 12 hours ago
2 days 13 hours ago
2 days 13 hours ago
2 days 14 hours ago
2 days 14 hours ago