This composite of two photographs taken at sites just a few kilometers away from each other in the mining area of Huepetuhe, shows cows grazing on grass on land not yet mined on May 22, 2014, top, and one last tree on the top of a mountain scathed by mining on May 26, 2014, 2014 in Peru's Madre de Dios region. The environmental cost of gold mining has been high, with huge scars gouged out of the rainforest that are visible from outer space and tons of mercury, a toxin used to bind mined gold flecks, released into the environment and contaminating the food chain in a region of rich biodiversity where several indigenous tribes live in voluntary isolation. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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