Garimpo, imagens aéreas

Impressionantes as imagens aéreas de garimpo na região de Madre de Dios, Cusco e Guacamayo, no Peru.

De um lado, as imagens mostram o preço que a natureza paga pela retirada do ouro, do outro, o gráfico mostra o ‘real’ preço do ouro nos últimos 50 anos. (comentário de Débora Carpe)

As the price of gold rises, the ecological cost mounts

Illegal gold mine established in 2009 in the department of Madre de Dios. This mine encroaches on Tambopata Reserve. All photos by Rhett A. Butler.

The surging price of gold is impacting some of the world’s most important ecosystems: tropical forests.

Rainforests across the Amazon — Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Peru — are being dug up for gold. Much of the mining is illegal and therefore little controlled: toxic compounds like mercury and cyanide is dumped into rivers and streams, affecting wildlife and downstream populations. Commercial bushmeat hunters poach animals in the forests around the mines.

These photos were taken yesterday and today in the Peruvian Amazon where a gold rush has been particularly damaging: the region is arguably the most biodiverse place on Earth.

Price of gold, 1960-2011

Lamal gold mine in Peru

Gold mining in Peru

Muddy toxin-laden river that drains the Río Huaypetue gold mine joining a clearwater river in the Peruvian Amazon

Guacamayo or Lamal gold mine.

Gold mine outside of Puerto Maldonado, Peru

Río Huaypetue gold mine in Madre de Dios

Río Huaypetue gold mine

Guacamayo gold mine outside of Cusco, Peru

Rio Huaypetue mine outside of Cusco, Peru
But gold mining is taking a toll in forests outside the Amazon: Madagascar, Indonesia, Central America, and West and Central Africa are among the tropical countries and regions that have been particularly affected by gold fever.