An estimated 18,000 hectares of trees were cleared as a result of gold mining in Peru’s southern Amazon in 2021 and 2022, with most of this deforestation taking place in Madre de Dios. The search for gold has also led to widespread use of toxic quicksilver mercury, which contaminates the soil and poses a major threat to public health. The estimated 50,000 gold miners in Madre de Dios discharge about 180 metric tonnes of mercury into the environment each year.
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