Gold-mining operations in remote regions of the Peruvian Amazon have stirred major environmental and health concerns over mercury contamination in fish, fish-eating wildlife and humans.
Illegal gold mining has become rampant in Peru. The government has tried to curb the practice by raiding mining operations, but so far this has had little impact.
Small-scale gold miners have poured into the Madre de Dios region of Peru. The local governor has declared a state of emergency and vowed to take all means necessary to stop illegal mining in the...
Peru's rainforests have been a hot spot for resource extraction even before rubber baron Carlos Fitzcarald first arrived in the Madre de Dios region.
As many as 20,000 people are involved in illegal gold mining in the Madre de Dios region of Peru, which has resulted in the destruction of soil and forests as well as the release of toxic mercury.
Recently inaugurated President Humala will have to confront Peru's mining and extraction industries, which have caused years of controversy between the government and the indigenous people.
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Stephen Sapienza is an award-winning news and documentary producer who has covered a wide range of human security stories, including the HIV crisis in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, child...