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“Poverty and hopelessness in South America, coupled with a craving for gold in the developed world, are causing massive damage to the ecosystem in the Amazon.” Synopsis: The Amazon jungle – lush, colorful, teeming with life. It is larger than the entire European Union, contains 20% of the world’s fresh water, a third of all plant and animal species and 10% of the world’s biomass. Its rivers and tributaries provide food and water to millions. In the Tambopata region of Peru, massive destruction is being caused by the mining of gold. All along the Madre Del Dios River there is evidence of illegal gold mining; these operations are crude and performed with no regard for the environment. Enormous areas are being destroyed and huge quantities of toxic materials are being dumped into the waterways. Many of the people in the rural regions of Peru have limited opportunity to provide for themselves and their families. These people turn to illegal gold mining, which pays around $80.00 per day as compared to the minimum wage salary of $284 per month. The working conditions in these mines are deplorable. The workers are exposed to toxic substances, such as mercury and arsenic. At the root of this problem is the world’s demand for gold, 70% of which is used to make jewelry and coins. This is a global problem that extends far beyond the borders of the Amazon. Treatment: Introduction (Montage aerial view of Peru) A piece of my heart will always remain in Peru. This is paradise. To start, the country has a rich and varied geography; Peru boasts of having costa, sierra, and selva - coasts, highlands, and jungle. There is everything here. And the history and culture are as dramatic as the topography is. The people are wonderful, resilient, and happy. And colorful; the entire country is colorful. 

Scene 1: This is the Amazon – lush, vibrant teeming with life. It is enormous, larger than the entire European Union. Here you’ll find 20% of the world’s fresh water, a third of all animal and plant species, and 10% of all the world’s biomass. To say the least, it is important. Its rivers and tributaries provide food and water to millions. And in terms of climate stabilization, it’s huge. It is estimated that the plant matter in this rain forest absorbs over 2 billion tons of CO2 per year, which, of course is released back into the atmosphere when the forest is cleared and the plants die. Montage of jungle Scene 2: Meal caught and foraged from Amazon jungle with Amazon guide Interview about vast biodiversity in this region S

Scene 3 Show aerial view of destruction But here in this part of the Amazon there is something that is causing great destruction – gold. All along the Madre Del Dios River there is evidence gold mining. These operations are crude, illegal, and performed with no regard for the environmental impact. They are leveling vast patches of forest; Peru’s ministry of Environment reports that 280,000 acres (or 1/3 the size of Rhode Island) of forest per year are being cleared. Deforestation is not the only consequence; toxic mercury, used to extract gold from the sediment, is dumped right into the river. It is estimated that in the Madre Del Dios River alone 1.1 tons of mercury is being released each month. Scene 4 Interview with tropical ecologist about the deleterious effects of mining. Luis Fernandez. Scene 5 Visit downstream populations and show effects of toxins and deforestation. Scene 6 Where does gold come from? And what is it used for? Peru is the largest gold producer in Latin America and the sixth largest in the world, occupying five percent of the world market in 2015. [2] An estimated 20% of the total gold comes from the Amazon region. There are thought to be around 30,000 artisanal gold miners in this region alone. [1]. The problem is fueled by the global demand for gold and its high price, with the true costs echoing through this region (and beyond) from trees to wildlife to the downstream populations. And most of the world’s gold is used for vanity and hoarding. One source reports that 52% is used for jewelry, 25% goes into coins and bullion, and only 9% is used for electronics. Scene 7 Who mines the gold and why? The gold found in these river sediments is too scattered to be of interest to large scale operations that would use modern efficient methods to extract it. Therefore, mining in this region is dominated by small-scale operations, whose practices produce negative environmental impacts. [3] They employ hundreds of thousands of workers. In 2013, La Defensoria del Pueblo reported that informal and illegal mining directly employed 100,000 people and indirectly employed 500,000 people. [4] One can understand the temptation these people face. A typical mine worker makes $80.00 per day, not bad when the minimum wage is Peru is less than $300.00 per month. Interview with a mine worker Where is he from? What are the opportunities he has? I have to ask myself, what would I do if I were in that situation? Scene 8 What are the risks taken by the mine workers? The workers handle mercury often without the benefit of personal protective equipment. They may accidentally ingest it, or it can be absorbed through the skin when they touch it with bare hands or swim in mercury contaminated water. They can inhale the fumes when it is burned off pieces of gold. All this can result in skin lesions, irritation to the lungs, difficulty breathing, and permanent damage to the nervous system. According to the United Nations estimates, for every gram of gold produced, two to five grams of mercury are used and released into the environment. [4] Show workers handling mercury Scene 9 Montage of destruction caused by gold mining This is a global issue that extends far beyond the borders of the Amazon Ask What are the implications for the future of the Earth here? What can we do about it? Call to action. Stop buying gold. Interviews Luis Fernandez: Bio: Luis E. Fernandez is the Executive Director of the Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation (CINCIA) at Wake Forest University, and the Director of the Carnegie Amazon Mercury Project (CAMEP) at the Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology. Luis' research focuses on examining the impacts of artisanal gold mining in tropical ecosystems in South America and Africa. Other focuses

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