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Increase in the price of gold helps in deforestation
Gold mining pollution used in mercury
Female miners turn to clean technology that promotes yields
Laberinto, Peru, April 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – An increase in a gold prices, so there is illegal mining in South America, destroying forests and polluting rivers, but women in eastern Peru are leading techniques that do not trust toxic mercury and even produce more precious metals.
One of the most biodiversity areas of Peru, in parts of Madrey Day Dies, illegal mining has left a desert -like landscape with lifeless crater and poison rivers.
“We cannot pollute and release more mercury in the environment,” 65-year-old Victoria Kondori said, there is an artisan minein with 800 hectares (1,977-acade) concession, which gives employment to 16 workers on the Madi Day Dies River.
Using a series of heavy excavators, high -pressure hoses and sluices, half a dozen miners can process about 20 metric tons of soil in 15 kg of black dirt that can be anything from 20 grams to 60 grams of gold in about 12 hours.
The artisan miners then shake the mercury in the mixture to tie it with gold and remove it, but the process leaves the toxic metal into the ecosystem, poisoning animals, people and rivers.
According to the World Health Organization, Mercury is one of the top 10 chemicals of the major public health concern, and is associated with developmental delays, cognitive loss and damage to the kidneys, lungs and immune systems.
A choice of mercury
Now, a group of female miners is changing with the table to filter intensive gold particles, gravimetric, or shaking, with the table. Technology can also produce large yields and can potentially increase prices from buyers seeking clean gold.
“It is possible to overcome gold without using mercury or other chemicals,” Wilma Contraras said, the head of the Taro Femta Artisanal Minors Association (Amtaf), with the constant thunder of the table of shocks behind it in a roadside workshop.
He said that many miners choose the option of mercury as it is easily available and the process is less time consuming.
Gold prices have reached more than $ 3,000 per ounces, due to the possibility of a global trade war launched by US President Donald Trump’s tariff. Gold prices rose by about 30% in 2024.
Price growth has promoted illegal mining in South America and has increased deforestation, human trafficking, sexual abuse and violent crime.
But contrarass said that Amtaf was expanding because more female miners demanded a safe environment for their children and high profits from sustainable gold buyers and jewelry firms such as magnificent earth, or local Casa collab.
The Madrey Day Dies has some 30% of the owner of formal mining operations, women, the highest ratio in Peru.
While most miners operate illegal or informally, Contraras has invested MATAF to create a formal mining association with 11 operations in Madre Day Dies.
Its four concessions have been certified by the alliance for mining responsible for the alliance, which keeps the group’s efforts in the mine in the “environmentally responsible manner”.
“It is expensive to work in the formal sector because you have to keep the personnel on the formal payroll, you have to pay all taxes,” said the contrarus.
“But if you want to work with peace of mind and without disturbing anyone, you have to reach this stage.”
Other women in Madre Day Dies want to follow and learn how to remove gold without mercury.
Kondori filmed every detail on her pink-casted phone, observed a gravimetric table in the Paulitha II concession on the Madre Dey Dies River.
“I am always eager to learn more, every day, to improve our method,” he said.
25 -year -old Isabel Chua conducted the table of shocks efficiently, adding gold silt, with water filtered on the vibrating surface of the water in the form of water, which separates heavy gold particles.
Gold dust is then heated with borax, a mineral salt, until the melt, a coin -shaped nuggets are dropped into a bucket of water to cool.
450-Owner of the hectare concession, 67-year-old Pedro Yanfents, estimates that he avails an additional gram gold for every work day, compared to the mercury.
Madre Dey Dies is Peru’s heaviest mining Amazon region. The mega biodivers focus on La Pampa between 98 and 110 in the Bafar Zone of Tambopata National Reserve.
The city and surrounding barren land is clearly visible in the green rainforest for tourists flying in the regional capital Puerto Maldonado to visit the jungle ecolodes.
According to the 2024 report by NGO Conservator Amazonica, the presence of mining machinery and illegal miners in La Pampa increased between 2021 and 2024 to 900% to 1,331 drawers and about 10,924 miners.
The report also found that there was an increase in 67,000 hectares in 10 years in the underprivileged area in Madre Dey Dies, which was 52% of the total deforestation in 38 years.
While some jewelry companies are ready to pay a premium for Mercury-free gold, women do not get any additional on selling local levels, France-based non-benevolent pure Earth’s local coordinator France Cabnillus said.
“For mercury-free technologies, like any new relatively new technology or exercise, is slightly complicated,” said the Cabanillus.
While their organization trains women miners in mercury-free techniques and helps them restore rainfall, local gold buyers do not pay more for clean gold and it is difficult for sustainable jewelers to fly out of the airport due to a ban on precious metal transportation.
But Cabnillus said that women have organized themselves and the movement is gaining momentum.
“These women want to become an agent of artisan mining changes in Madra Day Dies,” she said. (Editing by Jack Graham and John Heming. Thomson Reuters Foundation Thomson Reuters is a charitable hand.
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