ILLIGAL MINING

What is illegal mining? How devastating is illegal mining? How can illegal mining be stopped?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXIQHmB8aF0

From distance it looks like an unspoiled wilderness but then you see the summit of a sacred mountain in the heart of a national park scarred by gold mining. This is the Yapakana one range of tabletop mountains known as Tepui in Southern Venezuela.

The scale of the hidden mining operation here was uncovered last year from the analysis of satellite images.

"They are mining on the top of the Tepui and it is not just a handful. It is hundreds of miners on the top and you can see them in these very high resolution satellite images. You can see the huts so you can calculate that each of these huts has about four or five people. It is like a team."

In recent years the hunt for gold has exploded in Venezuela, the near collapse of this country´s oil industry which is now sanctioned by the US helped to drive this 21st century Gold Rush with both freelance miners and the government taking part.

Mining inside National parks is completely illegal but widespread and many observers say that the authorities must be letting this happen.

"How do you get miners onto the top of the mine , how do you get gold off the mountain, how do you get mercury onto the mountain, there is a lot of logistics and you can only do that if you have support form Venezuelan armed forces with their helicopters."

Following publication of the satellite images, the government pledged it was taking action against illegal miners and it invited journalists on this trip to Yapakana.

Some warn that it is too late the environmental damage to this fragile 2 billion year old landscape is irreversible. Everything has been distinguished there. The isolated summit of the mountain is true minefield not for gold but for still hidden treasures of the natural world.

sacred                               svatá

scarred                             zjizvená

tabletop                            deska stolové hory

mining                               dolování

handful                              hrstka

miner                                 horník

high resolution satellite images            satelitní snímky s vysokým rozlišení

hut                                    bouda, chata

be sanctioned                  být  sankcionován              

Gold Rush                        Zlatá horečka

Freelance                         na volné noze

widespread                      rozšířený

observer                           pozorovat

let this happen                 dovolit, aby se stalo

mercury                             rtut´

armed forces                    ozbrojené síly

pledged                             slib, přísaha

fragile                                 křehký

irreversible                        nevratný

distinguished                    význačný

test

From distance it looks like an unspoiled .......................... but then you see the summit of a sacred mountain in the heart of a national park ............................... by gold ...................... This is the Yapakana one range of ........................... mountains known as Tepui in Southern Venezuela.

The scale of the hidden mining operation here was uncovered last year from the analysis of .............. .........................

"They are mining on the top of the Tepui and it is not just a ........................... It is hundreds of miners on the top and you can see them in these very ..................... ............................ satellite images. You can see the huts so you can calculate that each of these huts has about four or five people. It is like a team."

In recent years the hunt for gold has exploded in Venezuela, the near collapse of this country´s oil industry which is now ...................................... by the US helped to drive this 21st century Gold Rush with both ........................................ miners and the .................. taking part.

Mining inside National parks is completely ................. but widespread and many observers say that the authorities must be ................... this .....................

"How do you get miners onto the top of the mine , how do you get gold off the mountain, how do you get ................... onto the mountain, there is a lot of logistics and you can only do that if you have support form Venezuelan ............... ................ with their helicopters."

Following publication of the satellite images, the government ................. it was ............... ........... against illegal miners and it invited journalists on this trip to Yapakana.

Some warn that it is too late. The environmental damage to this fragile 2 billion year old ................... is ................................ Everything has been distinguished there. The isolated summit of the mountain is true ..................... not for gold but for still hidden ...................... of the ...................... world.