Thousands of small-time miners are digging up and destroying the Peruvian Amazon. The police and army are after them. Environmentalists the world around condemn them. It’s a disaster and its only getting worse. But what do the miners themselves have to say?

Filmmakers Gerry Hadden and Armando Guerra discuss with Elaine Reyes some of their observations from producing Time is Dust. 

Mining in Peru kicked off in the late 1800’s. The first boom, or “gold rush”, occurred between 1930 and 1960. The miners were mostly locals from Madre de Dios, although some people came from other parts of the country.

Since 2009 researchers from Stanford University, working hand in hand with the Peruvian government and various Peruvian universities and NGO’s, have been studying the levels and effects of mercury in fish and people in the Puerto Maldonado, in the Amazon region of Peru, where artisanal gold mining is rife.

Photos from the harsh working conditions in the gold mines of Peru.

Corrupt Peruvian officials have stolen over $800 million in public money over the last five years, said Peru’s Controller General, Fuad Khoury. Khoury was speaking at an International Conference on Corruption in Lima in February.

Here are the approximate locations where Time is Dust was shot.

More photos from behind the scenes while producing Time is Dust. 

Armando and I don’t like to take risks. We don’t put ourselves in danger’s way. On reporting trips we sniff out that line and we respect it. I have a partner and young kids. And a big yellow line running down my spine.

For Time is Dust we wanted to go light with gear. Our original idea was to produce two short pieces in Peru –One on the illegal mining problem and another on the recovery of a fish species. However, once we saw how complex the mining story was we decided to focus on it completely–. We […]

Gerry Hadden and Armando Guerra are the directors and filmmakers of “Time is Dust.”

The people behind the making of Time is Dust.