Social and Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining in the Choco Rainforest

The classic artisanal mining – in this case, panning for gold in the river by community members in this region—was of minimal threat to the environment and to people's health. However, this has changed dramatically in recent years (around 2006) when heavy machinery for mining arrived on the northern border of Ecuador. Now faster and more destructive mining advances cut down valuable rainforest and pollute rivers with toxic substances like mercury and gasoline. With weak presence of the government and hardly any effective police enforcement in the region, we were advised that private investors from Ecuador and unsavoury elements from Colombia had discovered the region to be an ideal place for making and laundering money. Paying for a retro excavator (approximately US$100,000) is something the average local person in that region cannot afford.
http://goxi.org/profiles/blogs/new-asm-pace-guest-blog-social-and-environmental-impacts-of-gold