Learning from the Amazon: Rainforests and Conservation

 Illegal gold mining is a huge problem along the Tambopata River. The effects and illegal activities can be observed from where Secret Forest Station borders the river. The gold is extracted from the river through artisanal mining practices. Sediment is pumped over a washboard on a floating platform. Mercury is used to clump the gold deposits into an extractable form, but the toxic mercury is then discarded back into the river. Additionally, this process churns up the sediment, fundamentally changing the geology of the river, altering the banks and critical habitat for wildlife.

read more... https://www.theonlinecurrent.com/science_and_technology/learning-from-the-amazon-rainforests-and-conservation/article_039cd712-af00-11ed-a688-dbb624fe26ef.html