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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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Oil exploration and gold mining in the Peruvian rainforest
At least as serious a threat to the indigenous peoples of the
Peruvian rainforest are oil exploration and gold mining , which are an enormous
potential threat to the rainforest in Peru.
As the danger from terrorism faded in the mid-1990s, Fujimori's
politico-economic agenda opened the way for oil and gas exploration . Initially,
the government appeared to be bending over backwards to assist multinationals
exploit the reserves discovered, mainly in the Madre de Dios and Camisea areas.
Only the Amazonian indigenous organizations and environmental conservationists
were in opposition, and the momentum of fossil-fuel exploitation in the Peruvian
Amazon has slowed right down for the moment, but this is more likely to be an
unforeseen extension of Fujimori's policies than genuine concern, as the
government was not prepared to offer the companies as big a monopoly over the
Peruvian power-supply industry as they desired. Consequently, the multinationals
pulled out of the Camisea project in mid-1998 after investing many millions, and
substantially reduced their plans for the Madre de Dios region. The threat is
still there, however - in 1999, the Peruvian Energy Minister claimed that there
were over sixty companies expressing an interest in the Camisea gas reserves.
Illegal gold mining is at its worst in the south-eastern jungles of Madre de
Dios, home to the Amarakaeri Indians, where monster-sized machinery is
transforming one of the Amazon's most bio-diverse regions into a huge muddy
scar. A number of gold miners have already moved into the unique Tambopata
Reserved Zone, a protected jungle area where giant otters, howler monkeys, king
vultures, anacondas and jaguars are regularly spotted.
All plant life around each mine is turned into gravel, known in Peru as cancha,
for just a few ounces of gold a day. Front-loading machines move up to about 30m
depth of soil, which is then washed on a wooden sluice where high-pressure hoses
to separate the silt and gold from mud and gravel. Mercury, added at this stage
to facilitate gold extraction, is later burnt off, causing river and air
pollution. The mines are totally unregulated, and the richer, more established
mining families tend to run the show, having the money to import large machines
upriver from Brazil or by air from Chile.
The indigenous tribes are losing control of their territory to an
ever-increasing stream of these miners and settlers coming down from the high
Andes. As the mercury pollution and suspended mud from the mines upstream kill
the life-giving rivers, they are having to go deeper and deeper into the forest
for fish, traditionally their main source of protein. Beatings and death threats
from the miners and police are not uncommon.
There is a hope that improved gold- mining technology can stem the tide of
destruction in these areas. Mercury levels in Amazon rivers and their associated
food chains are rising at an alarming rate. However, with raw mercury available
for only $13 a kilo there is little obvious economic incentive to find ways of
using less hazardous materials. Cleaner gold-mining techniques have, however,
been developed in Brazil. Astonishingly simple, the new method utilizes a wooden
sluice with a gentler slope (instead of a steeper, ridged slope) to extract the
gold from the washed river sediment and gravel. Trials have shown that this
increases gold yields by up to forty percent, and the addition of a simple
sluice box at the base of the slope has also led to the recovery of some 95
percent of the mercury used in the process. The same project has also developed
a procedure of test-boring to estimate quantities of gold in potential gravel
deposits, which minimizes unnecessary and uneconomic earth moving in search for
gold. If taken on board by gold miners in the Amazon and elsewhere, these
techniques should reduce environmental damage. However, the fact remains that
pressure by international environmental groups , and the publicity that they
generate, continues to make a difference.
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Published articles and reviews about us
2010
Testimonials
Norman Pedersen
Date:
Sun,18 Jul 2010
Machu Picchu and my entire visit to Peru were
wonderful. A dream come true.
I could not have been happier with everyone I met through your
arrangements.
The tours were very informative and showed me more than I knew
existed in this beautiful place.
All of the accommodations were very comfortable.
The luncheon buffet at the Alhambra was top rate. And the Ferré
Hotel in Lima was also a very good choice.Your personal assistance
throughout was exceptional!
Thank you for everything!
Melinda Hughes
Date:
Tues, 13 Jul 2010
I was one of
the “Joel Williams” party of four who was recently on a Peru Gateway
Travel tour of northern and southern Peru. I had to write so you
would know how satisfied we were with the hotel accommodations, the
tour guides, the restaurants they choose for our lunches and just
everything about the trip.
The hotels we stayed in were well located, clean and convenient in
every way. We have absolutely no complaints!
Our tour covered Peru from the north to the south. It had four
internal flights, so there were many connections, pick ups and
deliveries involved. Peru Gateway Travel made sure we were always
delivered on time to the airports and promptly met and picked up
when we landed. We never had a moments worry.
Since we had many different day tours, we had several different
guides. All were professional and spoke our language well. All were
very knowledgeable and eager to impart that knowledge to us. They
chose great places for our lunches and the cuisine was
unforgettable. We have traveled to many countries but found the food
in Peru to be absolutely wonderful.
I also wanted to mention the drivers who picked us up at all times
of the day and night, drove us to our next destination and the
delivered us safely to our hotels. We never had a driver who was
less than prompt, courteous and most importantly, a skilled and
careful driver.
The sites we saw were the places we chose to see. And they did not
disappoint us. From the desert to the Andes to the Jungle, we
enjoyed it all.
Please feel free to use this email on your website or as a
testimonial. All four of our group would recommend Peru Gateway
Travel to anyone planning a trip to Peru. We were well taken care
of, enjoyed delicious food, saw awesome sights and had a wonderful
time.
Sincerely.
Ajay Chopra
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
We are back in
Lima. Our trip to Machu Picchu was wonderful, thank you and your
team and the ground staff in Cuzco for all their help and care. A
special thanks to Angella for her help.
We hope to do business with you in the near future.
Best Regards
Saikat.
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2010
I just wanted to let you know that we had an amazing
and wonderful trip to your country.
I must state that the people of Peru impressed me very much - they
are so nice!
While I have already filled-up the feedback form, this is just a
personal note to say Thank you.
Do visit India sometime - we have a lot in common.
Regards,
Irina Pascu
Date:
Fri, 25 Jun 2010
I am now back
home but still not believed that the holiday is over. I just
write you to tell you that I had a wonderful time in Peru and to
thanks for
your support. The circuit was very well designed and I had the
opportunity
to visit all the important sites I envisaged and also the Sacred
Valley and
the Altiplano.
I was really impressed by the organization and your people, always
in time
for pick up and interested to offer the necessary information.
Finally I showed to my friends that Peru is not so far and a visit
there
could be a wonderful experience. For me was a dream come true.
Many thanks to you and to your team.
Melissa Polier
Date:
Tues, 22 Jun 2010
My 2 adult children and I recently returned from our
hike to Machu Picchu and I wanted to thank you for all your
assistance. Our trip was great. We very much enjoyed visiting your
beautiful country. I especially want to praise our guide, cook and
porters. They did a terrific job. The food was marvelous and after a
long hike it was definitely something to look forward to. The
porters were very kind and when I needed some assistance at the end
of the 3rd day one of the porters helped me a lot. Our guide was
great. He was very knowledgeable and fun to hike with and he seemed
to really love his job. Again, thanks so much for everything
Read More testimonials »
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