Napa Gold Rush: Perceptions of Environmental and Social Change
Date of Publication
2022 12:00 AM
Security Theme
Illegal Mining
Keywords
Illegal Mining, illegal mining, Ecuadorian Amazon
Description
In Tena Canton, Napo Province, Ecuador, hundreds of foreign independent illegal gold miners descended onto the rural Yutzupino community, less than ten miles from the provincial capital of Tena, with over hundred-fifty excavators classifiers, and ounces of mercury. In less than a year, from October 2021 - February 2022, these miners excavated and deforested over 500 acres of primary forest and Jatunyacu River beaches and islands. These illegal gold miners were able to take advantage of the precarious economic condition that several Latin American nations have experienced as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The gold miners also benefitted from Ecuadorian national policies, and international financial institutions' guidance that promoted sectors like mining as part of the recovery of the Ecuadorian economy. Furthermore, Illegal gold miners were likely financed by organized crime groups, wealthy local elites, and corrupt government officials.
Napa Gold Rush: Perceptions of Environmental and Social Change
In Tena Canton, Napo Province, Ecuador, hundreds of foreign independent illegal gold miners descended onto the rural Yutzupino community, less than ten miles from the provincial capital of Tena, with over hundred-fifty excavators classifiers, and ounces of mercury. In less than a year, from October 2021 - February 2022, these miners excavated and deforested over 500 acres of primary forest and Jatunyacu River beaches and islands. These illegal gold miners were able to take advantage of the precarious economic condition that several Latin American nations have experienced as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The gold miners also benefitted from Ecuadorian national policies, and international financial institutions' guidance that promoted sectors like mining as part of the recovery of the Ecuadorian economy. Furthermore, Illegal gold miners were likely financed by organized crime groups, wealthy local elites, and corrupt government officials.
