Illegal gold mining eats into Peruvian Amazon
![Illegal gold mining eats into Peruvian Amazon](https://s.france24.com/media/display/3a4145c8-2d6c-11ef-bac1-005056bf30b7/w:1024/p:16x9/EN_20240618_102529_102715_CS.jpg)
On the banks of the Madre de Dios river, dredges work day and night in search of gold, part of a scourge of illegal mining that is slowly devouring the Peruvian Amazon. This mega-diverse region of southeast Peru has lost on average 21,000 hectares (52,000 acres) of rain forest -- an area twice the size of Paris -- every year since 2017 despite policing efforts locals say are insufficient.