Opportunities, Not Oppression, to Stop Illegal Mining in the Peruvian Amazon
Targeting small illegal mines in Peru is counterproductive, and the entire supply chain should strive for ethical standards
Environmental degradation and human-rights abuses are often associated with small, illegal mining operations around the world. Peru, among the world’s major gold producers, offers a case study on how local development could help solving a global problem. About 20 percent of Peru’s gold production comes from illegal and informal mines, and a crackdown on the small miners causes more problems than it solves, suggests David Gonzalez, a Fox International Fellow of Yale University. He argues for a holistic approach to prevent illegal mining: “Enforcement should focus on organized criminal networks, which enable illegal mining with material and financial support, falsify gold certificates, and move gold from mines to buyers in Peru and abroad. Rather than punishing workers, authorities would have a greater impact by developing alternative livelihoods that draw workers away from the mines.” Governments could promote alternative industries including ecotourism and agroforestry. Mechanisms could be put into place to raise awareness and certify the origin of gold products, to reduce criminal networks. Miners, manufacturers, and buyers of gold have a responsibility to ensure ethical standards, and reduce social and environmental costs.
A gold miner displays a piece of gold after it was burned down to remove the mercury along the Madre de Dios River in the Amazon lowlands, near Puerto Maldonado, Peru, on Nov. 14, 2013. The biologically diverse Madre de Dios ('Mother of God') region has seen deforestation from gold mining in the area triple since 2008, when gold prices spiked during global economic turmoil. Small-scale miners are drawn to the area in hopes for higher pay but often face abysmal conditions. Gold is usually amalgamated with mercury during the process of informal mining in the region, which is discharged into the water supply and air, poisoning fish and sickening people in the area. Peru is the largest producer of gold in Latin America and the sixth-largest in the world. Informal mining accounts for roughly 20 percent of the gold production in Peru. Mario Tama/Getty Images
MEXICO CITY—In the first week of 2016, Peruvian Prime Minister Pedro Cateriano announced the construction of a military base in the Amazonian state of Madre de Dios. It’s the latest phase in the escalating fight against illegal and informal gold mining, an industry tied to human rights abuses and widespread environmental destruction.
According to the prime minister, soldiers stationed at the base will conduct regular operations against highly active mining sites. The Peruvian government is drawing a hard line against a nefarious industry, and last year, authorities destroyed 86 illegal mining camps in Madre de Dios.
However, the militarized response to illegal gold mining fails to address underlying causes and may cause more problems than it solves.
Miners protest against Peru's government in downtown Lima on March 24, 2014. Thousands of informal miners are protesting against a decree aimed at putting an end to illegal mining in the country. Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images
