Already a Scourge, Illegal Gold Mining in Colombia Is Getting Worse

Illegal gold mining’s effect on many of the country’s most biodiverse areas has been devastating, resulting in deforestation and the elimination of vegetation cover, and the mass poisoning of many rivers and lakes. Colombia recorded a 46 percent increase in the loss of forests in 2017 compared to 2016—some 425,000 hectares, or more than 1 million acres—which was more than double the average loss between 2001 and 2015. Deforestation goes hand in hand with illegal mining operations, which begin with miners clearing forest in remote areas and using excavators to dig open-air mining pits. Mercury, cyanide, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and other solvents are then used to separate gold from ore and sediment. Once the mining operation concludes, these dangerous chemical byproducts are left behind, allowing mercury to contaminate waterways, soil and even the atmosphere. According to a 2016 study by the Externado University of Colombia in Bogota, illegal miners have dumped 180 tons of mercury byproduct into lakes and riverways each year, leading to ecological destruction in some of the world’s most precious and sensitive ecosystems. 
read more... https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/25266/already-a-scourge-illegal-gold-mining-in-colombia-is-getting-worse