Illegal gold mining has overwhelmed the state's capacity for control in Madre de Dios, leaving a trail of deforested jungle and rivers contaminated with mercury. A team of environmental prosecutors was attacked by a mob of 80 people while destroying dredges, highlighting the loss of authority. The Panguana scientific station was surrounded by backhoes, forcing the evacuation of personnel.
The technology enabling unchecked destruction 🌿
Illegal miners operate with logistics more sophisticated than drug trafficking, using high-tonnage dredges and backhoes in broad daylight. The Comprehensive Mining Formalization Registry (Reinfo) grants criminal immunity to those registered while they are in the formalization process, allowing the use of mercury and the removal of riverbeds without legal consequences. There are 215 active mining concessions that cross major watersheds, used to deceive indigenous communities.
The perfect business of formalizing without formalizing 💰
Reinfo is the perfect safe-conduct: as long as the miner claims to be in the formalization process, they can use mercury, remove rivers, and even threaten prosecutors without any consequences. It's like having a permit to do the forbidden, but with the state's seal. Bureaucracy has never been so useful for destroying the Amazon.