Gold mining by the Chinese company City SARL inside the Dimonika Biosphere Reserve in the Republic of Congo has devastated 5 hectares (12 acres) of forest. Artisanal gold miners and some local community members have had to leave the area, depriving them of food and drinking water. Water samples taken in the area and analyzed in a laboratory revealed dangerously high levels of mercury, which threaten the health of the inhabitants. NGOs have denounced what they call an ecological and human disaster. The Congolese government banned the activities of the Chinese mining company in November 2024, but the damage done has never been remediated.
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Banner image: Gold mine in the Dimonika Biosphere Reserve, the Republic of the Congo. Image ©Berdy Pambou.
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