Remote sensing techniques for tracking changes caused by illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios, Peru

Adamek Katarzyna (), Lupa Michał () and Zawadzki Mateusz ()
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Adamek Katarzyna: Department of Geoinformatics and Applied Computer Science, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland
Lupa Michał: Department of Geoinformatics and Applied Computer Science, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland
Zawadzki Mateusz: Institute of Socio-Economic Geography and Spatial Management, Department of Cartography and Geomatics, The Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland

Miscellanea Geographica. Regional Studies on Development, 2021, vol. 25, issue 4, 205-212

Abstract: Illegal extraction of gold has grown to be a problem in many countries, causing the degradation of the environment. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate changes in tree cover and surface pollution. The development of a mine site has been observed and analysed with images acquired from Landsat and the Sentinel missions. The results of the study showed changes in the state of the environment, strongly suggesting the possibility of ongoing pyrite weathering processes and the transportation of clay materials down watercourses, which can cause not only the further deterioration of the environment but also slow down the natural regeneration of the forest. In addition, research has found disturbing changes in vegetation, showing a loss of tree cover in the Amazon Rainforest as high as 17%. The validity of using remote sensing methods to observe the development of individual mining sites and their characteristics was confirmed.

Keywords: Environmental monitoring; geospatial analysis; South America; remote sensing; Peru (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:vrs:mgrsod:v:25:y:2021:i:4:p:205-212:n:1

DOI: 10.2478/mgrsd-2020-0028

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