Gold mining stirs up controversy in Greece

And it's not just tree the locals are concerned about. They also worry about cyanide used to extract gold from ore. They fear the toxic chemical will destroy their soil and the region's aquifers.
"Our drinking water supplies will be contaminated," Verginis said, adding that the region's river system and its sources in Skouries would "be converted as a toxic waste tank for the most part."
A mineralogist, Verginis, said miners would have to use cyanide in order to extract gold and puts the estimate at 100 tons of cyanide per year.
"It might be right that they won't use that [cyanide] in Skouries, but will do so in the neighboring mine Olympias," he said. "But they keep quiet about that and rather advertise they won't use cyanide in Skouries."
http://www.dw.de/gold-mining-stirs-up-controversy-in-greece/a-17365784