Peru losing its battle against illegal gold mining

Peruvian authorities are losing their battle against an army of illegal gold miners who have carved a toxic path through the country’s rainforest, one of the most biologically diverse places on earth.......

They also use mercury, which binds with gold and forms an amalgam. The process not only exposes them to the toxic substance and its vapours, but it’s also contaminating the land and inadvertently poisoning food chains in the process.

Despite the government’s efforts to tighten the screws on illegal mining, covert gold production in the South American nation has increased fivefold since 2012, and it is estimated to provide 100,000 direct jobs in the country, 40% of which are in the Madre de Dios region, located in southern Peru.

http://www.mining.com/peru-losing-its-battle-against-illegal-gold-mining/