But as Madre de Dios' rivers tragically contain deposits of gold, thousands of miners from Peru and neighboring Brazil are attracted to the area, with miners using mercury to separate gold from the soil and in the process contaminating the environment, and poisoning themselves.
Close to 60,000 hectares of rainforest in Madre de Dios has been turned into toxic wasteland, filled with dead animals—corresponding to a surface the equivalent of 68,000 soccer fields.
“This is a cancer that destroys everything,” said Zambrano.
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