In the small riverside community of PAIMADO, Colombia, the once lush biodiversity has been replaced by sediment and pebbles due to illegal gold mining activities. The Atrato River, declared to have rights equivalent to a human in 2016, is now facing severe degradation from illegal mining operations.
Armed groups, including the Gulf Clan, control the region, turning towns like PAIMADO into illegal mining hubs. The use of heavy machinery to extract gold has led to deforestation, pollution of water sources with mercury, and destruction of the local economy.
