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River of Gold
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Photos from River of Gold by award-winning photo journalist, Ron Haviv

A bridge being built across the river Madre Dios to complete the Trans American highway between Brazil and Peru.
A woman, part of a family mining on the Madre Dios River.
Rain Forest near Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata province, Madre de Dios region, Peru.
Illegal gold miners along the Madre Dios River.
Gold mining off the Madre de Dios River, near Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata province, Madre de Dios region, Peru. The area is situated in the headquarters of the Amazon, one of the most biodiverse places in the world.
Gold miners work in the miner city of Lamal. The work took less than one month to destroy this part of the rain forest.
Illegal gold miners work in the miner city of Lamal. Miners use mercury in the process of mining for gold.
A gold miner pours mercury into a barrel to work on gold separations in the mining area of Lamal, Madre de Dios region, Peru. The miners mix the excavation matter with mercury to form an amalgam, which they commonly tramp on with bare feet in a barrel. The amalgam is then heated to vaporize the mercury, leaving behind a nugget of gold.
A gold miner stands in a barrel filled with mercury in order to separate the gold from the excavation matter, in the mining area of Lamal, Madre de Dios region, Peru. The miners mix the excavation matter with mercury to form an amalgam, which they commonly tramp on with bare feet in a barrel. The amalgam is then heated to vaporize the mercury, leaving behind a nugget of gold.
Gold miners work in the miner city of Lamal. The work took less than one month to destroy this part of the rain forest.
Illegal gold miners work in the miner city of Lamal. The work took less than one month to destroy this part of the rain forest.
Illegal gold miners work in the miner city of Lamal. The work took less than one month to destroy this part of the rain forest.
Gold miners work in the miner city of Lamal. The effects of work at this mine are less than one month.
Illegal gold miners work in the miner city of Lamal. The work took less than one month to destroy this part of the rain forest.
The effects of gold mining are evident in the mining area of Lamal, Madre de Dios region, Peru.
Process of gold mining at a legally approved mine.
Artisan miners still work at a once illegal gold mine in the Peruvian Amazon. The government via series of raids attempted to shut down the area from illegal gold mining.
An owner of a legal gold mine.
Pieces of gold are found during the mining process.
Pieces of gold are found during the mining process that uses mercury. The excess mercury is burned away from the amalgam releasing toxic fumes in the air. It is estimated that 30 tons of toxic mercury are released in the local ecosystem every year.
Gold is measured in the mining area of Lamal, Madre de Dios region.
Gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon.
Part of the city of Huepethaue was rain forest twenty years ago. The area was destroyed by illegal gold mining.
The environmental effects of gold mining are evident in Huepethaue, Manu province, Madre de Dios region, Peru.
Illegal gold miners in their camp along the Madre Dios River. The area is currently being destroyed by the miners who are driven by poverty and the hope of a better life.
Illegal gold miners that live on the Madre Dios River.
Miner Alfredo Torres Gutierrez, 15, at camp.
Miners Dani (L) Armando, (C) and Marco at camp.
Miner Romario Cespedes, 14, at camp.
Victor Zambrano an ecological farmer and community leader for saving the environment.
A bottle of mercury which is toxic and used to extract gold. The excess mercury is burned away from the amalgam releasing toxic fumes in the air.
A customer examines gold in a shop.
A shop which buys and sells gold and mining supplies.
A young girl from a mining family is seen along the Madre de Dios River, in Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata province, Peru. Puerto Maldonado is at the epicenter of much of Peru's illegal gold mining activity.
Illegal gold miners that live on the Madre Dios River.
The city of Huepethaue and the effects of gold mining on the environment.
Peruvians dance at a political rally where the candidate supports autonomy for the mineral rich region.
The city of Huepethaue and the effects of gold mining on the environment. The area seen was rain forest twenty years ago.
Remnants of a once working gold mine in the Peruvian Amazon. The government via series of raids attempted to shut down the area from illegal gold mining.
Remnants of a once working gold mine in the Peruvian Amazon. The government via series of raids attempted to shut down the area from illegal gold mining.
Remnants of a once working gold mine in the Peruvian Amazon. The government via series of raids attempted to shut down the area from illegal gold mining.
Remnants of a once working gold mine in the Peruvian Amazon. The government via series of raids attempted to shut down the area from illegal gold mining.
A statue dedicated to gold miners.
A dying Brazil Nut tree alongside the Transoceanic highway that connects Brazil to Peru.

Images courtesy of ‎ Ron Haviv-Vll Photo Agency

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