Researchers find mining has caused way more rainforest damage than previously assumed

Oct 29, 2013 21:56 GMT  ·  By

Mining for gold has caused way more rainforest damage in the Peruvian Amazon's region of Madre De Dios than previously assumed, researchers show in a new paper in yesterday's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Not to beat about the bush, it appears that the overall land area where mining activities are carried out increased by a whopping 400% between the years 1999 and 2012.

What's more, the yearly rate of forest loss in this part of the world is now three times higher than it was before the year 2008.

“In all, we found that the rate of forest loss from gold mining accelerated from 5,350 acres (2,166 hectares) per year before 2008 to15,180 acres (6,145 hectares) each year after the 2008 global financial crisis that rocketed gold prices,” study lead author Greg Asner with the Carnegie Institution for Science says.

Furthermore, “The gold rush in Madre de Dios, Perú, exceeds the combined effects of all other causes of forest loss in the region, including from logging, ranching and agriculture. The region’s incredible flora and fauna is being lost to gold fever.”

Specialists say that, apart from being guilty of chopping down hundreds of trees for profit alone, people in the mining industry need be blamed for the fact that gold mining sediments sooner or later start to accumulate in local water systems. In time, these are bound to affect aquatic wildlife.

Besides, it appears that workers seldom shy away from hunting animals they chance to cross paths with, and cause further damage to local ecosystems.

In order to map the true effect that gold mining has had on natural ecosystems in the Peruvian Amazon's Madre De Dios, researchers made use of the Carnegie Landsat Analysis System-lite, which allowed them to pin down changes in forest areas as small as 10 square meters (about 100 square feet).

The information collected in this manner was corroborated with data gathered by means of on-ground field surveys.

“Finally, we have very detailed and accurate data that we can turn into government action. We are using this study to warn Peruvians on the terrible impact of illegal mining in one of the most important enclaves of biodiversity in the world, a place that we have vowed, as a nation, to protect for all humanity.”

“Nobody should buy one gram of this jungle gold. The mining must be stopped,” study co-author and Senior Advisor to the Minister, Peruvian Ministry of the Environment Ernesto Raez Luna commented on the importance of this investigation.