Puerto Maldonado, PERU, Feb. 9, 2007 – A view from a busted up taxi cab in downtown Puerto Maldonado, considered to be Peru’s last frontier town. Its economy is based almost solely on gold mining, along with some timber and oil exploration. It is a largely lawless area, where the citizens police themselves. Even so, crime is relatively non-existent and the region’s economy has seen a steady growth over the last twenty years.

In the jungle near Labertino Island, PERU, Feb. 8, 2007 – Miners work to drive logs into a pit, using nothing more than rope and their own strength. The posts are tied together in order to hold up an ore sifter. The entire operation is very rudimentary, leaving the miners to use truck engines to pump the earth from the pit, and their own ingenuity and physical strength to make due for the rest. The miners of this crew work in 24-hour shifts, one day on and one day off, earning on average 11�2 to 2 grams of gold per day, or about $30 – 45 dollars.

In the jungle near Labertino Island, PERU, Feb. 8, 2007 – A view of a series of gold mining pits deep within the jungle of Madre de Dion. In Peru, artisanal mining, a type of small-scale mining that produces gold exclusively, has proliferated due to a combination of survival and opportunity. In Madre de Dios, one of the least populated departments of the country, the discovery of gold in placers and riverbeds, has caused a massive immigration from the poorer regions. In Peru, where the economic rate of growth has been decreasing since the decade of the ‘70s, artisanal mining has become an important work generator for people unable to find employment in the ever weaker labor markets. The income of artisanal miners is estimated at $200 per month, almost double the minimum vital wage paid in the city of Lima.

In the jungle near Labertino Island, PERU, Feb. 8, 2007 – A group of miners pause for a moment having just transported a truck engine, re-tooled to use as a pump, onto a makeshift pontoon raft in one of the mining pits. The entire operation is very rudimentary, leaving the miners to use truck engines to pump the earth from the pit, and their own ingenuity and physical strength to make due for the rest. The miners of this crew work in 24-hour shifts, one day on and one day off, earning on average 11�2 to 2 grams of gold per day, or about $30 – 45 dollars.

In the jungle near Labertino Island, PERU, Feb. 8, 2007 – A trio of miners work to repair a pipe used for blasting the pits.

In the jungle near Labertino Island, PERU, Feb. 8, 2007 – A trio of miners work to blast away a new pit with a water pump. They also work to remove large rocks and debris. Because of the saturation of the land, if the pits are not wide enough, mudslides can occur burying the miners in the pits.

In the jungle near Labertino Island, PERU, Feb. 8, 2007 – A miner sifts though his crew’s day’s work of gold, which is mixed here with mercury to separate it from the dirt and ore. Once it is clean, the mercury is burnt off, with only the gold remaining. In an effort to save money and a feeble attempt to prevent too much mercury getting into the environment, the gas is captured in the process and most of it returned for reuse. Even so, mercury contamination is the principle environmental problem brought about by artisanal Mining in the region. The indiscriminate and inefficient use of mercury for gold amalgamation, have been the cause of large quantities being lost and introduced into the environment in both liquid form or in the form of gasses. It is estimated that 70 tons a year are lost in the Madre de Dios region alone.

In the jungle near Labertino Island, PERU, Feb. 8, 2007 – A trio of miners work wait patiently for the results of their efforts from the previous day. The gold is first separated using mercury; then it is melted, divided and weighed. These men, who work 24-hour shifts, earned the equivalent of $35 for their previous day.