A Peruvian mining town tries to prove gold can be mined without mercury
A formalized mining operation in Peru's Madre de Dios region is testing mercury-free, solar-powered gold extraction, but sustaining it will require government support the miners say they don't have.
In Madre de Dios, Peru, where thousands of people depend on gold mining even as mercury pollution and deforestation degrade the Amazon, a formalized mining operation in the La Pampa area is testing whether gold can be extracted cleanly. The operation uses mercury-free gravimetric tables powered by solar energy instead of the mercury amalgamation method that has poisoned rivers and forests across the region.
A new documentary following the operation captures the tension between economic survival and environmental protection. Formalized miners, those who have gone through Peru's legal registration process, say they face violence, competition from informal operations, little government support and public stigma despite doing the work legally. "The media only shows what La Pampa is, but they never take into account those of us who are already formalized," one miner said.
Workers in the film argue mercury-free extraction is technically achievable, but say making it the norm will require sustained government investment and a credible long-term economic case for miners to make the switch. "One day I believe our Peruvian state will take us into account," one miner said. The documentary was supported by the Amazon Film Grant through the One World Media Fellowship.
Based on reporting by Felipe Esparza for Mongabay. Read the original: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-push-for-a-sustainable-artisanal-mining-in-the-peruvian-amazon/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
