Small Scale Gold Mining in the Amazon

Over the last  decades, the growth in small-scale gold mining has resulted in
environmental problems and socio-political conflicts in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru
and Suriname. Uncontrolled polluting often threatens the livelihoods of indigenous
peoples. Cross-border tensions arise when miners from one country invade another, or
smuggle gold across borders. With the recent instability in the world economy driving
up the price of gold, and with techniques becoming more mechanised, the scale of the
problems is increasing. As few governments know how to react to these developments,
evidence-based policy responses are urgently required. These are what GOMIAM aims
to provide.
http://www.nwo.nl/files.nsf/pages/NWOP_8TXEAC/$file/Output%20information%20sheet,%20GOMIAM,%20Panorama.pdf