Peruvian President Ollanta Humala has said his administration plans to invest US$ 35 million in the development of the Madre de Dios region that has been seriously affected by informal and illegal mining.
"We are creating a development fund with 100 million soles ( US$ 35 mm), we are evaluating the creation of a comprehensive project for Madre de Dios, because we want to recover our Amazon," Ollanta Humala said.
The head of Peru's Administration noted people from different parts of the country and even abroad come to the Peruvian Amazon to operate illegally in mining activities, especially in Madre de Dios.
Likewise, Humala pointed out that illegal mining destroys large swaths of Amazon rainforest due to illegal logging, causes mercury contamination, which is slowly poisoning locals and killing fish, and smuggling of fuel.
"We have to save the Amazon....we have to protect the interests of our children", Humala said.
A study by U.S.-based Carnegie Institution for Science last October found that 32 tons of mercury is thrown into the rivers in Madre de Dios every year.
Since taking office in July 2011, President Ollanta Humala has set out to formalize the country's informal miners, control the flow of fuel, chemicals and machinery to illegal mining operations in the Amazon jungle and curb exports of illegally produced gold and destroy unauthorized river dredgers and gold mills.
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