Amazon Forest Protection By Locals Most Effective

“We used to fish in the River Puquiri, but it’s not a river anymore due to the tailings and sediment,” said an indigenous leader from Madre de Dios. “The miners work there now and there’s no fish. It’s all mud.” ]
Small-scale gold mining often involves the use of mercury, a neurotoxin, to separate ore from substrate. In 2011 alone, nearly 1,400 tons of mercury was used for gold mining, making it the world’s largest source of environmental mercury pollution. Oil and natural gas extraction, too, often releases dangerously high levels of heavy metals into rivers, according to the report.
http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1143490-amazon-forest-protection-by-locals-most-effective/