The most biologically diverse parts of the tropics are losing its flora and fauna due to gold mining, a research published in the IOP Publishing's journal Environmental Research Letters has found. The global 'gold rush' has impacted the environment tremendously due to the increase in deforestation.

Huge parts of the forests have disappeared, the report states that in 12 years between 2001 and 2013, nearly 1680 kms of tropical forests was lost in South America. Lead author of the research Nora L. Álvarez-Berríos said that deforestation is caused by many reasons but the most worrisome of them all is mining as it is reducing the forest cover in the most diverse parts of the tropics. The Madre de Dios Region in Perú can house 300 species of trees in just one hectare.

Due to the rise in the price of the gold and the rise in demands, gold production has increased. This has resulted in the increase in gold mining across the globe, including in places rich for their natural heritage, even below tropical forests.

The researchers at Puerto Rico studied the forests across South America which included Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. They found that the extensive deforestation has impacted the forest areas and in just 13 years, 89 per cent of the forest cover in four regions has been lost. "The Guianan moist forest ecoregion; the Southwest Amazon moist forest ecoregion; the Tapajós-Xingú moist forest ecoregion; and The Magdalena Valley-Urabá region," are the regions affected.

The areas are also vulnerable to the chemical pollutants released from the mining area. Loss of forest cover can change the environment and climate as well. The report stated that it can result in loss of vegetation and failure in the regrowth of the vegetation, rainfall patterns will change and carbon dioxide will also be released in the atmosphere.

The study sought to create a database that could geographically show the location of the newly developed mines in the tropical forests, from 2000 to 2013. Though overall less than 1 per cent of the forest has been lost but it all falls under the conservation areas. They then analysed this data parallel to the annual land cover mass. The main aim being to show the change mining had brought to the forest cover.

Álvarez-Berríos said that awareness regarding this needs to be spread among the gold consumers. This will help them understand the environmental and social consequences of buying gold or investing in it. Also recommending miners to be more responsible so that they reduce, "deeper encroachments" and do not destroy the forests.

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