By properly including indigenous and impoverished peoples in the new economy and securing communal land rights in the forests, as well as fostering soil recovery in areas of coca cultivation and managing resource extraction, Colombia can move into a more equitable and environmentally sustainable future.
In South America mercury is used to collect the gold after it has been mined, and it has polluted the environment and poisoned the workers. On the other side of the Pacific, ocean floor mining is seen by investors as a golden opportunity, but critics disagree.
The river Caño Cristales, is also known as the river of five colors for the vibrant path it winds through the Colombian landscape.