Peru Environmental Issues amp; Resource Extraction
Mining has also been an issue in Peru, having led to widespread water pollution. Copper, silver, gold, mercury, and zinc are all mined in Peru, and have polluted water supplies in central Peru and the Cordillera Huayhuash. As of 2009, three big gold mines in Madre de Dios, in southern Peru, had claimed some 38,300 acres (15,500 ha) of forest.