The impact of mining gold in the Region of Madre de Dios (Peru)

被引:0
|
作者
Junquera Rubio, Carlos [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Complutense Madrid, Etnol, Madrid, Spain
关键词
Economy; illegal and informal gold mining; mercury; rain forest destroyed; Madre de Dios region;
D O I
暂无
中图分类号
X [环境科学、安全科学];
学科分类号
08 ; 0830 ;
摘要
Gold mining has been the key economic activity in the region of Madre de Dios after 1973 and constitutes an attraction along the Madre de Dios River and others. The high price of this metal employs a great part of the population in the extracting operations by hand on the riverbanks. At this moment, Peruvian authorities have no control over large areas of the rain forest of Madre de Dios Department and have allowed illegal gold mining activities to destroy thousands of squared kilometers. Tens of thousands of people, involved in illegal gold mining, have destroyed 150,000 ha. per year in the Madre de Dios region where 50,000 kg of mercury is dumped into the environment annually. Nothing is ever going to grow there again and nobody says anything. Individuals involved in this industry are armed and go about their daily activities without any interference from environmental organizations or authorities. In fact, the industry is the main economic activity in cities like regional capital Puerto Maldonado. Rather than corruption, the lack of government control is mainly due to authorities' fear of tackling difficult issues and consequently losing their jobs.
引用
收藏
页码:169 / 202
页数:34
相关论文
共 50 条
  • [31] Correspondence to the Editor Re: Artisanal and small-scale gold mining impacts in Madre de Dios, Peru: Management and mitigation strategies
    Feijoo, Monica Del Aguila
    Walker, Tony R.
    ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL, 2018, 111 : 133 - 134
  • [32] Madre de Dios
    Doran, Geri
    NEW ENGLAND REVIEW-MIDDLEBURY SERIES, 2010, 31 (04): : 118 - 121
  • [33] Assessing fish diversity in abandoned mining ponds in Madre de Dios, Peru, using environmental DNA
    Timana-Mendoza, Camila
    Reyes-Calderon, Alonso
    Venail, Patrick
    Araujo-Flores, Julio M.
    Santa-Maria, Monica C.
    ENVIRONMENTAL DNA, 2024, 6 (01):
  • [34] The Impact of Road Construction on Subjective Well-Being in Communities in Madre de Dios, Peru
    Riley-Powell, Amy R.
    Lee, Gwenyth O.
    Naik, Nehal S.
    Jensen, Kelly E.
    O'Neal, Christina
    Salmon-Mulanovich, Gabriela
    Hartinger, Stella M.
    Bausch, Daniel G.
    Paz-Soldan, Valerie A.
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH, 2018, 15 (06)
  • [35] Diversity and structure of Sapotaceae in Amazonian forests of Madre de Dios (Peru)
    Martinez-Sovero, Gustavo
    Iglesias-Osores, Sebastian
    Munoz-Chavarry, Pacifico
    Seminario-Cunya, Alejandro
    Alva-Mendoza, Denisse
    Villena-Velasquez, Jim
    CIENCIA AMAZONICA, 2021, 9 (01): : 59 - 72
  • [36] River transport of mercury from artisanal and small-scale gold mining and risks for dietary mercury exposure in Madre de Dios, Peru
    Diringer, Sarah E.
    Feingold, Beth J.
    Ortiz, Ernesto J.
    Gallis, John A.
    Araujo-Flores, Julio M.
    Berky, Axel
    Pan, William K. Y.
    Hsu-Kim, Heileen
    ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE-PROCESSES & IMPACTS, 2015, 17 (02) : 478 - 487
  • [37] Mercury Exposure Among Artisanal Gold Miners in Madre de Dios, Peru: A Cross-sectional Study
    Ellen E. Yard
    Jane Horton
    Joshua G. Schier
    Kathleen Caldwell
    Carlos Sanchez
    Lauren Lewis
    Carmen Gastaňaga
    Journal of Medical Toxicology, 2012, 8 (4) : 441 - 448
  • [38] Mercury Exposure Among Artisanal Gold Miners in Madre de Dios, Peru: A Cross-sectional Study
    Yard, Ellen E.
    Horton, Jane
    Schier, Joshua G.
    Caldwell, Kathleen
    Sanchez, Carlos
    Lewis, Lauren
    Gastanaga, Carmen
    JOURNAL OF MEDICAL TOXICOLOGY, 2012, 8 (04) : 441 - 448
  • [39] The bryophytes of Madre de Dios Archipelago, Magallanes Region, Chile
    Drapela, Pedro
    Larrain, Juan
    PHYTOTAXA, 2020, 428 (01) : 7 - 29
  • [40] Inga pitmanii (Fabaceae), a New Species from Madre de Dios, Peru
    Dexter, Kyle G.
    Pennington, Terence D.
    NOVON, 2011, 21 (03): : 322 - 325