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Cracking Down on Illegal Gold Mining in the Amazon (16 photos)

Reuters photographer Bruno Kelly recently traveled deep into the Amazon rainforest, accompanying agents of Brazil’s environmental agency as they ventured into the Yanomami territory to combat rampant illegal gold mining.  The 23.5 million acre Yanomami territory has been plagued by illegal mining for decades, as prospectors continue to cut down trees, tear up hillsides, and poison rivers with mercury in their search for gold.