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This pit here is in the middle of
the Brazilian rainforest
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and right now,
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I'm looking for gold.
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This phase of my journey
is all about searching for
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the riches of the Amazon.
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My quest takes me
to some dangerous places.
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I'm not too sure what to expect so far,
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but the phrase Wild West comes to mind.
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I live and work in one of the largest
illegal gold mines in Brazil.
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Somewhere in there is
three days' worth of pay.
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Ah, thank you, thank you.
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I go deep underground.
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Wow, how exciting!
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And I climb high up into the trees.
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Really is without doubt
the best view of the forest
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I have ever, ever had.
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It's here that I learn
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the true value
of the largest rainforest on earth.
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It's been nearly six months since
I started my Amazon odyssey
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high up in the Peruvian Andes.
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But myself and the river still have
over a thousand miles
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to go downstream before we reach
ourjourney's end at the Atlantic coast.
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I've been lucky enough to live with
all sorts of people on my journey so far,
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but this next phase is gonna take me
into a completely different world.
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And there is my guide
for the next phase of my journey.
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I'm going into town,
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cold caiperinias, big parties,
the whole works, I can't wait.
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Nice to meet you, Bruce.
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Well, well, well,
I've heard a lot about you.
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Oh, thanks. It's such a pleasure
to have you here, man. Really.
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Tony Netto is very different
from the remote tribes,
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farmers and fishermen
I've met so far on my journey.
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With a personal fortune of more than
a million pounds,
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he's one of a new breed of
Amazonian entrepreneurs.
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Even though we're still a long way
from the Atlantic ocean,
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the Amazon river is
up to 15 miles wide here.
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As it gets bigger,
so do the towns along its banks.
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And this is Manaus,
the largest city in the Amazon basin.
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A thousand miles upriver
and surrounded by rainforest,
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Manaus grew and prospered
as the centre of the Amazon's rubber boom.
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In the late 19th century, it was one of
the wealthiest cities in the world.
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Grand buildings like this opera house
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were built with the profits
of the rubber trade.
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Today, the Brazilian government is giving
tax breaks to high-tech industries
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and businessmen like Tony
are reaping the benefits.
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Tony's factory makes fire extinguishers.
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Others produce computers,
motorbikes, electrical goods.
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Manaus is booming once again.
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Cities don't always excite me, but I love
the look of where I'm going to be staying.
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I've been travelling now
for almost six months
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and this is one of the few chances
I've had for a night out.
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And Tony makes sure I enjoy it.
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I'm going with Tony to meet his family
and friends.
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- So this is the opera house.
- Wow!
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The most famous building here?
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Yeah, one of the most famous
in Brazil also.
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In the early 20th century,
Manaus was the sole supplier of rubber
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and one of the world's
most important cities.
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These streets were some of the first
to be lit by electricity.
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Today, because of the manufacturing boom,
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Manaus is still the wealthiest city
in the Amazon.
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Tony's family live
a sophisticated lifestyle,
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but his mother insists the influence
of the rainforest is always there.
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It's magic, I think.
We are so lucky to have this here.
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It's calm, it's quiet,
the people are so warm,
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and I think that makes the difference,
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it's why we are the way we are,
because of the nature.
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- You're in touch with the natural world?
- The influence is so strong.
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- Energy, the nature that we have.
- The influences.
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Something so natural that we feel nice,
every single day,
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every single time, you know.
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- Wow.
- Really.
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Could you live anywhere else?
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No, I'm gonna die here.
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The most interesting thing for me,
and in a way surprising actually, is just,
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from the few people I've met so far,
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the intense love of Manaus,
they're so proud
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and they really want to talk about it
and they really love it so much
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and it's not just the city, but it's
the fact that they're in the Amazon.
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It keeps coming across in every
conversation. It's that, we're here,
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and we're surrounded by this
beautiful forest and we care about it
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and that as a sentiment
is something that is really nice.
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Not everyone in the Amazon has
the same attitude towards the forest.
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The next stage of my journey will
bring me face to face
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with people involved in its destruction.
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I'm leaving the river and heading south.
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I'm flying to an area of the Amazon basin
that's being cut down at a rapid rate.
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It's not long before I see one of
the main causes of this deforestation.
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Beneath me is the Transamazonica Highway,
developed and built in the late '60s,
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early '70s,
with the express intention of
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opening up the Amazon
for development and exploitation.
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The Transamazonica runs 5,000 miles
from east to west across Brazil.
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It was the first of a network of roads
intended to bring development
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to the southern Amazon basin,
but it had a completely different effect.
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80% of all deforestation in the Amazon
is within 30 kilometres,
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just 30 kilometres, of an official road.
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One fifth of the rainforest
has already been cut down.
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Most has been turned into
cattle ranches, like this.
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But farming isn't the only way
people have tried to make their fortune
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in this part of the Amazon.
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When the Portuguese and Spanish
first came to the Amazon in 1500,
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they were looking for gold, El Dorado.
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They didn't find it at all,
but in actual fact they were wrong.
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There was gold here all along,
and it's only actually
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when you have roads like this put in,
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that you've been able to access many
of those areas previously undiscovered
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because of the lack
of getting there by water routes.
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Today, the high price of the metal
is fuelling an Amazonian gold rush.
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I want to meet the people who dream
of striking it rich in the rainforest
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and see how much destruction
they're leaving in their wake.
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After a couple of hours of driving
down the Transamazonica,
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with bare fields either side,
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finally now we've turned off,
and this is a bespoke road
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that goes straight to the mine
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but the most interesting
and instantly obvious thing to me
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is that the forest is
right up to the edge of the road.
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It's just a short ride across river
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to one of the largest illegal gold mines
in the Amazon.
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I'm not too sure what to expect so far,
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but the phrase Wild West comes to mind.
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Obrigados.
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It's quite a spooky time to arrive,
it being dusk.
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All I can make out is just lamps,
tarpaulins, filth and litter,
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incessant sound of a thudding generator.
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And what feels like lots of people
living on top of each other.
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The 3,000 or so people in the mining camp
don't have permission to be here.
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And the place has a bad reputation
of prostitution, guns and murder.
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With its muddy streets and dodgy bars,
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it feels like
I'm walking into a Hollywood Western.
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It's not long before
I get my first look at
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what's drawn everyone
to this corner of the rainforest.
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Check this out. These scales here.
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You come along, sprinkle a bit
of your gold dust, so to speak,
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and that's the currency, or currency
at least in this particular store.
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There's only one hotel in town.
I've been told it doubles as a brothel.
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Oh, they've got rooms.
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It's the only hotel, if you can call it
that, in the area, which is great.
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And they have rooms, which is cool.
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It's also the local...den of iniquity.
I'm trying to think of the word.
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Judging by how thin these walls are,
I don't anticipate getting much sleep.
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The night passes peacefully.
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It seems I was misinformed.
It's not a brothel after all.
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I really want to see the mine,
and my landlady Hussia takes me there.
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- Oh, my God, wow!
- Look at that.
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This is Grota Rica, the rich grotto.
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As you can see,
it's just this huge expanse of...
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of destruction really, as...
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Apparently at one stage, this height
where I'm stood now was exactly
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the same height as the rest of this
terrain, but it's all been excavated
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by individuals who are here
for all sorts of different reasons.
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Amazing to think that, not that long ago,
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this was just a tiny little creek
surrounded by woodland,
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kind of in the middle of nowhere.
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The story of the beginning
of the mine is a local legend.
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Two years ago, men found gold here
and swore a pact of secrecy.
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But one of them got drunk in town
and boasted of their find.
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Within days, the forest was swarming
with thousands of people.
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Though it's the worst environmental
damage I've seen in the Amazon,
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I want to get to know the people here
to find out what their lives are like.
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My landlady, Hussia, has been here
since the height of the gold rush.
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I want to meet the people at the heart
of this place, the miners.
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Most of the gold found here
is found by teams like this one.
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Wow, finally.
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My first real sighting
of the guys at work.
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90% of this excavation of all the area
that we've seen has been done by
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high-powered water hose.
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And because it's all alluvial soils,
it's very loose clays and muds,
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it just washes away, and no doubt
it will end up in the local river.
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My translator, Dudu,
used to be a gold miner,
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and knows how this place operates.
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How do they know where to go
and do the exploration next?
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There's no seismologists, geologists,
geophysicists...
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They found gold in one spot, then they go
digging around just trying to find it.
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- Just looking for it and that, that's it.
- Completely random?
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Yes, they just go in and dig a hole.
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There's no real technology here.
It's faith and desire.
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Yes, yes.
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Wow.
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Generators draw water
from a nearby stream for hoses.
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00:14:20,527 --> 00:14:24,076
Muddy water is then pumped up
to these wooden cascades.
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The heavy gold settles on a mesh carpet
while mud and stones are washed away.
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Each team has a boss
who pays for the generator,
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and therefore gets
a majority share of the gold.
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There's only one thing to do to get
to know these men a little bit better.
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00:14:48,167 --> 00:14:53,560
Would it be possible for me to help out
as well sometime, do you think?
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Si, si, si.
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OK, I think I've just got myself a job.
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Brilliant.
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The next morning, I get to the mine
just as the sun is rising.
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All the generators are beginning
to spark up, and what was for a second,
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a brief second, a nice tranquil moment,
is gonna be another day
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00:15:29,927 --> 00:15:34,478
of thunderous noise, as all of these
generators, not only here,
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00:15:34,527 --> 00:15:38,486
but back in the village,
pump out their volume.
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00:15:50,127 --> 00:15:56,043
I've been six months travelling
and I've hardly done a day's work.
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I'm really quite excited, actually,
about doing something physical.
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I just hope I'm up to the challenge.
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00:16:06,127 --> 00:16:11,121
I start work under the watchful eye
of the boss, Caverna.
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00:16:13,567 --> 00:16:16,206
They certainly started me off
with the easy job.
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00:16:17,767 --> 00:16:20,520
I'm just filtering out all the big stones
200
00:16:20,567 --> 00:16:23,445
so they don't all go into the pipe
and clog the engine.
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00:16:37,607 --> 00:16:40,519
A few hours later, I move up a grade.
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00:16:40,567 --> 00:16:44,037
I'm weakening the earth for the hose man.
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00:16:46,367 --> 00:16:50,155
This is monotonous, hard work
in the searing heat.
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Everyone takes a quick break for coffee.
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00:16:59,927 --> 00:17:03,078
Ahh. Muito obrigado.
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00:17:03,127 --> 00:17:04,685
Perfecto.
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00:17:06,447 --> 00:17:10,565
If ever there's an incentive
to doing some manual labour,
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00:17:10,607 --> 00:17:13,997
it's looking for gold, isn't it?
Come on, let's face it.
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00:17:14,047 --> 00:17:19,440
The hose looks like the hardest job,
but the most fun, too.
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00:17:19,487 --> 00:17:21,523
The guys say I can have a go.
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00:17:36,607 --> 00:17:40,646
Somewhere in all this slurry
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we're hoping there are tiny little grains
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00:17:43,367 --> 00:17:48,521
or if we're really lucky,
maybe even nuggets of gold.
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00:17:53,007 --> 00:17:55,123
If I was to let go of this...
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00:17:57,407 --> 00:18:00,922
...it would go all over the place,
just like in the cartoons.
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00:18:00,967 --> 00:18:04,084
I can feel the weight,
like pushing me back.
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00:18:08,847 --> 00:18:11,600
That shows you the strength
of the hose.
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00:18:11,647 --> 00:18:15,640
You've gotta really lean into it
like that, and then push.
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If you look closely,
there's little gold pebbles everywhere.
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And when I first started
I thought I was going mad,
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00:18:30,687 --> 00:18:35,203
but it's just a gold coloured stone,
innit? It's not metal at all.
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I'm gutted.
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00:18:40,287 --> 00:18:42,755
There's gold in them there hills,
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00:18:42,807 --> 00:18:44,638
but I ain't seen none yet.
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00:18:47,847 --> 00:18:52,079
As well as taking care of the pump,
the boss feeds his team, too.
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00:18:52,127 --> 00:18:54,846
When he arrives with lunch,
it's time to freshen up.
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Such a great team.
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00:19:08,607 --> 00:19:11,041
I mean, with all that racket
going on down there,
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00:19:11,087 --> 00:19:15,524
it's hardly possible
to even have any communication at all.
230
00:19:15,567 --> 00:19:21,005
So I'm looking forward to a beer tonight
and I can have a proper chat.
231
00:19:21,047 --> 00:19:22,719
The boss, Caverna,
232
00:19:22,767 --> 00:19:26,203
reckons there's a lot more wealth
buried beneath the rainforest.
233
00:19:46,687 --> 00:19:48,917
We get back to work.
234
00:19:50,767 --> 00:19:54,157
Despite the noise, I'm starting
to make friends with Gugu,
235
00:19:54,207 --> 00:19:56,960
one of the most experienced miners,
236
00:19:57,007 --> 00:19:59,202
and Janis, the newest member of the team.
237
00:20:10,647 --> 00:20:13,241
It rains for most of the afternoon,
238
00:20:13,287 --> 00:20:16,279
but this doesn't stop our hunt for gold.
239
00:20:34,247 --> 00:20:36,715
After 12 hours'hard graft,
240
00:20:36,767 --> 00:20:41,204
Caverna tells us to give the pit
a final hose down.
241
00:20:41,247 --> 00:20:45,877
It's all really about this - this is
where the action really is going on
242
00:20:45,927 --> 00:20:50,717
because all the time they're hosing down,
all the particles
243
00:20:50,767 --> 00:20:54,601
are being held in the water,
being sucked up by the big pump.
244
00:20:54,647 --> 00:20:59,596
Most of it is enticed
down this shallow gradient
245
00:20:59,647 --> 00:21:01,877
where they get caught in this mesh,
246
00:21:01,927 --> 00:21:05,237
and beneath it, a fine carpet
and that, hopefully,
247
00:21:05,287 --> 00:21:10,361
because the gold is the heaviest thing
of all, is where it will stay.
248
00:21:11,447 --> 00:21:16,202
Every few days, the carpets are cleaned
and the gold collected and shared out.
249
00:21:16,247 --> 00:21:18,477
Today is pay day.
250
00:21:18,527 --> 00:21:20,961
And this is the residue.
251
00:21:21,007 --> 00:21:25,364
Somewhere in there is three days' worth
of pay for everybody.
252
00:21:37,087 --> 00:21:40,875
These granules of gold
will be shared out among the team.
253
00:21:42,287 --> 00:21:46,280
Caverna's taking all the financial risk,
so he gets the biggest cut.
254
00:21:52,407 --> 00:21:56,958
Five grams is... Six grams each.
255
00:21:57,007 --> 00:22:01,603
Each miner earns about £70
for the three day's work.
256
00:22:01,647 --> 00:22:05,526
This is much more than they'd get
in a factory or on a cattle ranch.
257
00:22:07,127 --> 00:22:10,597
But it's not the regular wage
that's keeping them here.
258
00:22:33,487 --> 00:22:40,040
So would you class yourselves as gamblers,
as gambling personalities?
259
00:22:44,567 --> 00:22:48,765
If you weren't here doing this,
what would you be doing?
260
00:23:10,727 --> 00:23:15,881
A lot of money is being made here
but a lot is being spent, too.
261
00:23:15,927 --> 00:23:18,395
Grota Rica is full of temptation.
262
00:23:38,447 --> 00:23:41,120
Gugu's been a miner for years,
263
00:23:41,167 --> 00:23:43,840
but he seems a bit tired of the lifestyle.
264
00:24:17,647 --> 00:24:21,606
My landlady Hussia is more than
just a hotel owner.
265
00:24:21,647 --> 00:24:23,239
Where you taking me now, Hussia?
266
00:24:23,287 --> 00:24:24,959
What's down here?
267
00:24:25,007 --> 00:24:28,966
For a small fee, she'll pump
clean, chlorinated water to your house.
268
00:24:34,327 --> 00:24:37,046
She's sunk a lot of money
into this community.
269
00:24:37,087 --> 00:24:40,796
She's not just here to get rich quick,
she wants the place to prosper.
270
00:24:55,687 --> 00:24:57,962
But the mine is still illegal.
271
00:24:58,007 --> 00:25:01,124
The army could come in
and close it down at any time.
272
00:25:01,167 --> 00:25:04,239
So she's taking a big risk investing here.
273
00:25:24,167 --> 00:25:27,159
There you go, job done.
274
00:25:27,207 --> 00:25:29,243
And you're much stronger than me.
275
00:25:30,687 --> 00:25:36,205
General repairs of their water,
waterworks of the village with Hussia.
276
00:25:36,247 --> 00:25:40,843
And now we have a happy customer
who's gonna have fresh drinking water
277
00:25:40,887 --> 00:25:46,439
and maybe even a shower this evening.
Fantastic, cool.
278
00:25:48,767 --> 00:25:52,601
The mining has devastated
a big area of forest.
279
00:25:52,647 --> 00:25:56,560
But all the slurry from the hoses
must be having a wider impact.
280
00:25:56,607 --> 00:25:58,837
The river water is
naturally black in colour,
281
00:25:58,887 --> 00:26:01,924
darkened by organic material
from the forest.
282
00:26:01,967 --> 00:26:05,642
But just downstream of Grota Rica,
it's very different.
283
00:26:09,967 --> 00:26:13,676
Already, this merging
284
00:26:13,727 --> 00:26:16,799
has substantially changed the colouration.
285
00:26:16,847 --> 00:26:21,284
It just means that this otherwise
clear river is now, look here...
286
00:26:21,327 --> 00:26:23,397
full of silt.
287
00:26:25,207 --> 00:26:28,677
Oh, my God,
there's so much more than I thought.
288
00:26:31,407 --> 00:26:35,798
Adding silt to a river can
fundamentally change the ecosystem,
289
00:26:35,847 --> 00:26:37,997
killing many species.
290
00:26:38,047 --> 00:26:41,562
There may well be other chemical pollution
from the mine too.
291
00:26:41,607 --> 00:26:47,796
I've spent my whole time just looking at
the destruction of a small area of land
292
00:26:47,847 --> 00:26:51,601
and really this mine is tiny compared to
some of the huge mines that you find
293
00:26:51,647 --> 00:26:55,606
in and around the world and in Amazonia,
but the biggest destruction is not
294
00:26:55,647 --> 00:26:59,640
the loss of trees and the scarring
of the landscape, but it's the rivers.
295
00:26:59,687 --> 00:27:02,997
It just completely changes
the landscape overnight.
296
00:27:08,527 --> 00:27:12,406
Caverna's mining team
normally works seven days a week.
297
00:27:12,447 --> 00:27:16,963
But if they get any time off, they get
as far away from the mine as possible.
298
00:27:21,727 --> 00:27:24,639
The boys here have got the afternoon off
299
00:27:24,687 --> 00:27:29,363
so their normal ritual is to go out
to this beautiful waterfall
300
00:27:29,407 --> 00:27:32,558
that they all go and have
a good scrub for the week.
301
00:27:32,607 --> 00:27:35,679
And they've kindly allowed me
to join them.
302
00:28:08,647 --> 00:28:13,277
It's so beautiful here on a great day out.
303
00:28:13,327 --> 00:28:19,960
And just to think, three years ago,
the mine was exactly like this.
304
00:28:29,407 --> 00:28:33,798
My aim throughout my whole journey
is not to come here with...
305
00:28:33,847 --> 00:28:36,839
with issues or crosses to bear,
306
00:28:36,887 --> 00:28:38,923
it's just to listen to
the stories of people like you.
307
00:28:38,967 --> 00:28:41,197
But I do know that some environmentalists
308
00:28:41,247 --> 00:28:45,525
might have some negative things
to say about mining.
309
00:28:45,567 --> 00:28:49,003
What would you say to those people?
310
00:29:10,767 --> 00:29:15,636
The noise of the town's generators is
being drowned out by an unfamiliar sound.
311
00:29:23,167 --> 00:29:25,158
When I first saw this,
312
00:29:25,207 --> 00:29:29,485
I thought all the houses were on fire,
but it's just a fumigation service
313
00:29:29,527 --> 00:29:32,837
provided by the association
to kill all the bugs,
314
00:29:32,887 --> 00:29:38,120
especially the mosquitoes, who provides
us with this spectacle every night.
315
00:29:44,687 --> 00:29:47,406
The miners hope that
by forming an association
316
00:29:47,447 --> 00:29:49,961
and tackling problems like malaria,
317
00:29:50,007 --> 00:29:52,805
the Government won't
close Grota Rica down.
318
00:29:58,887 --> 00:30:01,959
Hussia's waiting for one of her daughters
to arrive at the mine.
319
00:30:02,007 --> 00:30:04,965
10-year-old Sasha lives
with friends in Apui,
320
00:30:05,007 --> 00:30:06,884
a town three hours'drive away,
321
00:30:06,927 --> 00:30:10,522
and Hussia hasn't seen her
for three months.
322
00:30:33,967 --> 00:30:37,755
While she waits, she casually fixes
one of the river taxi's engines.
323
00:31:04,967 --> 00:31:07,276
Her daughter should have been here
hours ago.
324
00:31:07,327 --> 00:31:09,636
Something must have held her up.
325
00:31:12,887 --> 00:31:16,846
As the night draws in,
she gets more and more worried.
326
00:32:02,767 --> 00:32:06,840
Sasha and her sisters spend
most of their time in Apui,
327
00:32:06,887 --> 00:32:09,401
many miles away from their mother.
328
00:32:32,807 --> 00:32:36,686
Everyone I've met in Grota Rica
has been a risk taker,
329
00:32:36,727 --> 00:32:40,117
but I'm about to meet some men
who could be the biggest gamblers of all.
330
00:32:45,407 --> 00:32:47,204
The main mine is back there, behind me,
331
00:32:47,247 --> 00:32:52,640
and this is the biggest hill in the area
that's overlooking it.
332
00:32:52,687 --> 00:32:59,399
Somewhere underneath this land mass,
this hill, is where the source
333
00:32:59,447 --> 00:33:03,360
of all of the gold that's trickled down
into that area has come from.
334
00:33:04,927 --> 00:33:08,636
There's a group of miners who believe
there's gold beneath this hill.
335
00:33:08,687 --> 00:33:11,565
Not just the odd gram, but tons of it.
336
00:33:13,447 --> 00:33:16,803
And to get it,
they're digging deep underground.
337
00:33:17,927 --> 00:33:23,684
This is Milton, the lead miner, and his
business partners Hoosevelt and Feliciano.
338
00:33:23,727 --> 00:33:26,480
And this is their tunnel.
339
00:33:26,527 --> 00:33:30,361
How much longer do you think
you'll be before you find the jackpot?
340
00:33:51,047 --> 00:33:54,403
They've been here six months
and have dug a horizontal tunnel
341
00:33:54,447 --> 00:33:56,403
60 metres into the side of the hill.
342
00:33:56,447 --> 00:34:01,237
They live apart from the rest of the mine
in a shack in front of the entrance.
343
00:34:04,527 --> 00:34:07,599
This is a much more skilled operation
than the open-pit mining.
344
00:34:07,647 --> 00:34:09,797
This is the work of a professional.
345
00:34:11,927 --> 00:34:14,282
This place looks so well organised.
346
00:34:14,327 --> 00:34:19,082
You're obviously all very expert. What's
your own personal experiences of mining?
347
00:34:36,247 --> 00:34:39,683
The tunnel looks well built
and they say it's safe,
348
00:34:39,727 --> 00:34:42,366
so I decide to join Milton
on his next run.
349
00:34:42,407 --> 00:34:45,763
There's not a lot of oxygen
at the gold face,
350
00:34:45,807 --> 00:34:48,719
so it's only Milton and myself going in.
351
00:34:48,767 --> 00:34:52,396
But I've said that I will bring
the barrow out and that's the custom.
352
00:34:52,447 --> 00:34:54,039
Anyone who goes to the front
353
00:34:54,087 --> 00:34:57,079
must bring a barrow load
of detritus out with them,
354
00:34:57,127 --> 00:34:58,845
so that's what I'll be doing.
355
00:35:07,087 --> 00:35:08,076
Luckily, I'm very short.
356
00:35:10,967 --> 00:35:14,277
You and me, baby, let's go.
357
00:35:17,447 --> 00:35:20,564
Yah! Thank you, my friends.
358
00:35:20,607 --> 00:35:23,758
See you very soon. Woo! Here we go.
359
00:35:23,807 --> 00:35:27,038
Oh, that's goodbye to the camera.
360
00:35:27,087 --> 00:35:29,043
- Bye-bye, Keith.
- Bye, Bruce. Good luck!
361
00:35:29,087 --> 00:35:34,878
Thank you, mate. And I'm gonna
have to switch to night vision.
362
00:35:34,927 --> 00:35:37,566
Oh, look at that. Wow.
363
00:35:37,607 --> 00:35:39,086
How exciting.
364
00:35:40,847 --> 00:35:43,077
I know there's a plank in the middle.
365
00:35:43,127 --> 00:35:47,166
And it's a bit muddy
and wet and I'm really bent over.
366
00:35:47,207 --> 00:35:49,198
Wow.
367
00:35:49,247 --> 00:35:53,126
This really is troglodyte realm now,
Jesus!
368
00:35:53,167 --> 00:35:55,237
Now...
369
00:35:57,167 --> 00:35:58,919
If you look at the sides here,
370
00:35:58,967 --> 00:36:04,564
they're quite well-shaped,
and then the occasional board.
371
00:36:06,167 --> 00:36:08,840
I've done caving before,
372
00:36:08,887 --> 00:36:12,641
but that's completely different,
cos of course it's all stone.
373
00:36:14,047 --> 00:36:19,519
You really have the threat
of, um...any collapse.
374
00:36:28,447 --> 00:36:29,846
You just point that at me.
375
00:36:36,447 --> 00:36:41,760
You can feel very slightly
the lack of oxygen, but only slightly.
376
00:36:44,727 --> 00:36:46,524
Oh, fuck.
377
00:36:50,247 --> 00:36:54,001
Don't want to be knocking them down
too often.
378
00:37:51,647 --> 00:37:53,717
The hardest bit...
379
00:37:53,767 --> 00:37:57,123
is coming out...
Oh, this isn't so bad.
380
00:37:58,327 --> 00:38:00,602
It's a good job I do, pretty much.
381
00:38:00,647 --> 00:38:03,639
I'm so grateful for being small.
382
00:38:03,687 --> 00:38:07,839
Whether it's the flight on the way out
or whether it's running through the jungle
383
00:38:07,887 --> 00:38:14,235
or even being cool in the desert
or even being a troglodyte underground,
384
00:38:14,287 --> 00:38:17,279
being short,
it's just got all the advantages.
385
00:38:21,327 --> 00:38:27,436
Imagine all the sweat,
blood, tears and toil
386
00:38:27,487 --> 00:38:31,400
that have gone into
this extraordinary tunnel
387
00:38:31,447 --> 00:38:35,076
with no real knowledge
of what's at the end.
388
00:38:35,127 --> 00:38:41,760
A lot of hope,
but no assurances, for six months.
389
00:38:41,807 --> 00:38:45,482
My Lord, I really hope
they get what they're looking for.
390
00:38:48,087 --> 00:38:49,566
Ah, here we are.
391
00:39:10,327 --> 00:39:12,045
Ah, thank you, thank you.
392
00:39:12,087 --> 00:39:13,964
I don't know why these guys...
393
00:39:14,007 --> 00:39:18,523
Well, they're so lovely
that they're pleased for me
394
00:39:18,567 --> 00:39:23,197
but I dug that much
and they've dug 60 metres.
395
00:39:29,087 --> 00:39:30,486
Muito obrigado, boss, obrigado.
396
00:39:35,807 --> 00:39:40,278
It's so nice just hanging out
with my new chums.
397
00:39:40,327 --> 00:39:43,558
We're about to have dinner,
but first we're gonna have grace.
398
00:39:45,647 --> 00:39:50,516
Milton and his friends are taking
a big gamble with this tunnel.
399
00:39:50,567 --> 00:39:54,685
I get the feeling they have faith in
more than just their mining skills.
400
00:40:13,807 --> 00:40:17,083
It's not just their faith
that sets them aside from the miners
401
00:40:17,127 --> 00:40:18,685
on the other side of the hill.
402
00:40:46,727 --> 00:40:49,116
I hope their gamble pays off
403
00:40:49,167 --> 00:40:52,762
and they at least get something
for so much time and effort.
404
00:40:58,087 --> 00:41:00,601
Hussia is full of surprises.
405
00:41:00,647 --> 00:41:04,959
I've found out that she's prospecting
for gold in a location
406
00:41:05,007 --> 00:41:07,282
far away from the main mine.
407
00:41:14,367 --> 00:41:19,919
She's already found a bit of gold here,
but her machines keep breaking down
408
00:41:19,967 --> 00:41:21,605
and she's losing money.
409
00:41:34,327 --> 00:41:36,557
So when this is going chug chug,
you're happy?
410
00:41:43,567 --> 00:41:47,355
For now, she's still
in the mining business, but only just.
411
00:41:47,407 --> 00:41:50,956
Her dream of getting rich quick
is starting to fade.
412
00:42:10,207 --> 00:42:15,406
One thing is for sure, and that is
that Hussia is an extraordinary woman.
413
00:42:15,447 --> 00:42:17,881
She's a hotelier,
she's a waterworks entrepreneur
414
00:42:17,927 --> 00:42:20,600
and she's even a gold prospector.
415
00:42:20,647 --> 00:42:24,162
Not just mining, like everyone else,
but out finding new turf.
416
00:42:24,207 --> 00:42:29,804
She certainly is an incredibly
charismatic and courageous lady.
417
00:42:29,847 --> 00:42:34,398
But also a big risk taker because
she's sunk a lot of money into this place
418
00:42:34,447 --> 00:42:36,756
and she knows
that it's still not legal here
419
00:42:36,807 --> 00:42:38,877
and it could all be taken away tomorrow
420
00:42:38,927 --> 00:42:40,963
and she would not have a leg to stand on.
421
00:42:41,007 --> 00:42:44,124
And she's got a family,
she's got nine children and a husband.
422
00:42:44,167 --> 00:42:48,365
They're relying on her
and she's taking big risks.
423
00:42:52,527 --> 00:42:54,677
Everyone works hard all week,
424
00:42:54,727 --> 00:42:57,036
but on Saturday night
they let their hair down.
425
00:42:57,087 --> 00:42:59,760
Hussia is getting ready for a night out.
426
00:44:09,687 --> 00:44:12,918
Hussia's got an appointment to keep
before she hits the nightclub.
427
00:44:12,967 --> 00:44:16,164
She's throwing a party
for a pregnant friend.
428
00:44:25,807 --> 00:44:28,116
I never expected
so many mothers and babies
429
00:44:28,167 --> 00:44:30,920
to be living in an illegal gold mine.
430
00:44:30,967 --> 00:44:36,087
There's the beginnings of a community
here, with Hussia at its heart.
431
00:44:42,687 --> 00:44:46,316
If there's one thing I've learnt
about Brazilians, they love to dance.
432
00:45:00,967 --> 00:45:05,836
But despite the fun and the laughter,
there is a bit of an edge here.
433
00:45:05,887 --> 00:45:10,324
The mix of drink, guns and gold
is a dangerous one.
434
00:45:13,847 --> 00:45:17,157
It's almost time for me
to leave the gold mine.
435
00:45:17,207 --> 00:45:20,882
But before I go,
there's one last person I want to meet.
436
00:45:20,927 --> 00:45:24,442
Someone told me
that one of the first three,
437
00:45:24,487 --> 00:45:30,278
the original finders, is still here,
and apparently this is his place.
438
00:45:31,647 --> 00:45:36,323
Ever since I arrived, people have told me
how the man who first found gold here
439
00:45:36,367 --> 00:45:39,723
was let down by his friend
who got drunk, opened his mouth,
440
00:45:39,767 --> 00:45:41,598
and started a gold rush.
441
00:45:43,447 --> 00:45:45,677
Hey, nice to meet you.
442
00:45:45,727 --> 00:45:50,437
This is Mariano, the prospector
who found gold in the rainforest,
443
00:45:50,487 --> 00:45:53,684
but then saw it slip through his fingers.
444
00:46:21,927 --> 00:46:26,478
Before the mine was overrun,
Mariano found four kilograms of gold.
445
00:46:26,527 --> 00:46:31,840
That's £50,000 worth,
a lifetime's wage for most Brazilians.
446
00:46:31,887 --> 00:46:35,163
But he squandered it
as others got rich around him.
447
00:46:36,727 --> 00:46:39,480
Everyone I've met is dreaming of
such a find.
448
00:46:39,527 --> 00:46:41,279
But does gold make you happy?
449
00:47:09,527 --> 00:47:13,645
Mariano tells me he wishes
he'd never set eyes on this place.
450
00:47:13,687 --> 00:47:16,360
He may have found riches
in the rainforest,
451
00:47:16,407 --> 00:47:19,080
but he didn't find happiness.
452
00:47:22,127 --> 00:47:25,085
The mine is buzzing
with some shocking news.
453
00:47:27,447 --> 00:47:29,324
Did you see it?
Do you know where it happened?
454
00:47:29,367 --> 00:47:31,961
Were you aware of it quite early on?
455
00:47:41,887 --> 00:47:46,881
A miner was shot and almost killed
in a dispute over ten grams of gold.
456
00:47:46,927 --> 00:47:50,442
He was taken across the river
and driven to the hospital in Apui.
457
00:47:52,647 --> 00:47:55,957
Everyone says that it's very rare,
it doesn't ever happen.
458
00:47:56,007 --> 00:47:58,885
But when you turn the camera off
and chat with them, they say,
459
00:47:58,927 --> 00:48:01,760
''Oh, well. These sorts of things
do happen occasionally.''
460
00:48:01,807 --> 00:48:03,843
So it's quite telling, really.
461
00:48:03,887 --> 00:48:07,436
It's a reminder of how lawless
this place can be.
462
00:48:07,487 --> 00:48:12,163
To be honest, I'm glad it's nearly time
for me and the crew to move on.
463
00:48:14,047 --> 00:48:16,402
I've been lucky with the people
I've met here.
464
00:48:16,447 --> 00:48:18,324
Hussia has the kind of get-up-and-go
465
00:48:18,367 --> 00:48:21,359
that would be applauded
and rewarded at home.
466
00:48:21,407 --> 00:48:25,161
But here she's an outlaw trying
to make a living in the jungle
467
00:48:25,207 --> 00:48:28,483
with only her dreams
to keep her going.
468
00:48:28,527 --> 00:48:31,485
So much of what's going on here
is just about people trying to
469
00:48:31,527 --> 00:48:35,236
make their lives better,
which we all do, all over the world.
470
00:48:35,287 --> 00:48:40,486
And it will continue to happen here
so long as substances like gold
471
00:48:40,527 --> 00:48:41,960
are worth what they're worth.
472
00:48:42,007 --> 00:48:47,604
Until we've put our value in other things,
this is gonna be the end result.
473
00:48:49,207 --> 00:48:50,845
Ciao, ciao!
474
00:48:54,887 --> 00:48:57,242
Si, successo.
475
00:48:58,847 --> 00:49:01,998
I fly back north
across an endless sea of green.
476
00:49:03,727 --> 00:49:05,445
I've been in the Amazon for many months.
477
00:49:05,487 --> 00:49:11,164
I've seen the forest being cut down
for oil, timber and now gold.
478
00:49:11,207 --> 00:49:15,246
Is there another way to make money
from the Amazon,
479
00:49:15,287 --> 00:49:18,757
one which might protect it,
not destroy it?
480
00:49:21,047 --> 00:49:25,723
I'm hoping the people I'm about to meet
can answer this very question.
481
00:49:25,767 --> 00:49:30,238
30 miles north of Manaus,
this scientific reserve
482
00:49:30,287 --> 00:49:33,723
is one of the most studied areas
in the whole of the Amazon basin.
483
00:49:33,767 --> 00:49:37,885
These scientists from the National
Institute for Amazon Research
484
00:49:37,927 --> 00:49:42,000
are trying to value the rainforest
in a revolutionary way.
485
00:49:42,047 --> 00:49:47,075
Bruce, I'd like to introduce you
to our collaborators, researchers.
486
00:49:47,127 --> 00:49:53,760
Dr Antonio Manzi is one of the leaders of
a thousand-strong team of scientists.
487
00:49:53,807 --> 00:49:56,446
Even though I've been travelling
six months, really, you guys
488
00:49:56,487 --> 00:49:58,284
are the first people that I've met
489
00:49:58,327 --> 00:50:03,117
that can give me a slightly bigger view
of what the Amazon is worth.
490
00:50:39,487 --> 00:50:43,446
Recent research estimates that
a quarter of all living species
491
00:50:43,487 --> 00:50:45,205
are found in the Amazon.
492
00:50:45,247 --> 00:50:48,319
The forest produces
a fifth of the Earth's oxygen,
493
00:50:48,367 --> 00:50:51,723
and has a huge influence on
global climate.
494
00:50:51,767 --> 00:50:57,239
However, no-one has yet put
a dollar value on all this.
495
00:50:57,287 --> 00:51:01,075
But global warming is forcing us to
consider the cost of something else,
496
00:51:01,127 --> 00:51:02,799
carbon dioxide.
497
00:51:02,847 --> 00:51:07,796
Burning the forest releases CO2,
but living trees absorb it.
498
00:51:07,847 --> 00:51:12,796
The Amazon rainforest could play a crucial
role in the fight against climate change,
499
00:51:12,847 --> 00:51:16,237
if only we valued it properly.
500
00:51:18,407 --> 00:51:22,844
Alessandro Araujo samples levels
of carbon dioxide in the forest.
501
00:51:24,087 --> 00:51:28,603
We are going to sample the air at
a flow rate of about one litre per minute.
502
00:51:28,647 --> 00:51:33,437
Because the air is not as clean as
we want, we are going to use a filter
503
00:51:33,487 --> 00:51:37,719
to avoid insects or micro things
to get into the tube.
504
00:51:37,767 --> 00:51:39,837
- OK.
- Just get close and blow.
505
00:51:39,887 --> 00:51:41,320
OK.
506
00:51:44,367 --> 00:51:46,722
- Oh, my God!
- Bruce, you destroyed my machine!
507
00:51:46,767 --> 00:51:48,917
I did, look at that. My God.
508
00:51:48,967 --> 00:51:50,400
Check that.
509
00:51:50,447 --> 00:51:54,918
The CO2 in my breath sends
the reading off the scale.
510
00:51:54,967 --> 00:51:59,757
To show me how much CO2
is being taken in by the forest,
511
00:51:59,807 --> 00:52:03,766
Alessandro is going to rig his sampling
equipment high up in the canopy.
512
00:52:22,247 --> 00:52:26,035
Now this is the place to be.
513
00:52:28,967 --> 00:52:32,243
It really is without doubt
514
00:52:32,287 --> 00:52:35,484
the best view of the forest
I have ever, ever had.
515
00:52:35,527 --> 00:52:39,998
I'm touching the tree,
I'm at the top of the canopy,
516
00:52:40,047 --> 00:52:44,404
I can see everything
and I really feel part of it.
517
00:52:44,447 --> 00:52:46,403
Wow.
518
00:52:46,447 --> 00:52:47,800
Wow!
519
00:52:47,847 --> 00:52:51,726
That's proper vertigo stuff.
I am thoroughly high.
520
00:52:54,887 --> 00:52:56,479
I'll take up the slack now, yeah?
521
00:52:58,007 --> 00:53:01,079
From a special tree hammock,
I haul up the gear.
522
00:53:04,487 --> 00:53:07,479
This is great fun, Alessandro.
I'm really enjoying it.
523
00:53:07,527 --> 00:53:09,358
I'm happy to hear it.
524
00:53:09,407 --> 00:53:11,079
All for science.
525
00:53:11,127 --> 00:53:14,836
I knew there was a scientist
inside of your soul.
526
00:53:16,407 --> 00:53:19,524
I rig the CO2 sampling tube
as high as I can.
527
00:53:19,567 --> 00:53:23,082
We're now ready to take our first reading.
528
00:53:23,127 --> 00:53:25,004
Plugged in now.
529
00:53:25,047 --> 00:53:27,197
And it's so sensitive.
530
00:53:27,247 --> 00:53:30,239
- It is.
- You can see me doing my manoeuvring.
531
00:53:30,287 --> 00:53:32,676
I also saw your breath.
532
00:53:32,727 --> 00:53:35,002
Did you! I did that on purpose.
533
00:53:35,047 --> 00:53:40,360
- Just a little gift. It's like a kiss.
- Oh, Bruce! You're terrible.
534
00:53:40,407 --> 00:53:44,958
Alessandro needs to compare
carbon dioxide readings taken
535
00:53:45,007 --> 00:53:47,441
during the day and the night.
536
00:53:47,487 --> 00:53:53,005
We're going to be sleeping 120 foot up,
high in the canopy.
537
00:53:55,167 --> 00:53:57,317
Ah, bring on the night.
538
00:53:57,367 --> 00:54:00,996
This is gonna be a super, super evening.
539
00:54:07,487 --> 00:54:10,445
It feels really different at night,
doesn't it?
540
00:54:10,487 --> 00:54:13,479
- Have you looked over the edge?
- No, I didn't.
541
00:54:13,527 --> 00:54:18,806
Don't look over the edge.
Believe me, don't look over the edge.
542
00:54:18,847 --> 00:54:21,520
During the day, trees absorb CO2.
543
00:54:21,567 --> 00:54:26,436
But photosynthesis
stops at night and CO2 levels rise.
544
00:54:26,487 --> 00:54:30,321
The difference between day and night
is how much CO2 the rainforest
545
00:54:30,367 --> 00:54:32,676
is taking out of the atmosphere.
546
00:54:35,207 --> 00:54:36,925
It's so beautiful up here.
547
00:54:36,967 --> 00:54:40,437
It's just really still and quiet.
548
00:54:51,087 --> 00:54:53,078
I managed to grab a few hours'sleep.
549
00:54:53,127 --> 00:54:56,517
In the morning, we take our
last reading before we head down.
550
00:55:00,767 --> 00:55:02,564
What a great time I've had up here.
551
00:55:02,607 --> 00:55:04,962
Amazing.
552
00:55:05,007 --> 00:55:08,556
CO2 sampling like this has shown
that the Amazon rainforest
553
00:55:08,607 --> 00:55:13,522
is taking in up to 600 million tons of
carbon every year,
554
00:55:13,567 --> 00:55:17,799
as much as the European Union
releases by burning fossil fuels.
555
00:55:17,847 --> 00:55:20,839
But the Amazon
isn't just absorbing carbon.
556
00:55:20,887 --> 00:55:23,560
It's continually storing it too.
557
00:55:23,607 --> 00:55:27,759
And this could be worth billions
of dollars to the people who live here.
558
00:55:53,887 --> 00:55:58,403
When the forest burns,
CO2 is released into the atmosphere.
559
00:55:58,447 --> 00:56:01,280
Paying the Brazilian Government
to protect it
560
00:56:01,327 --> 00:56:05,400
could be a quick and easy way
of fighting climate change.
561
00:56:59,127 --> 00:57:01,880
Good luck with saving it,
for all of our sakes.
562
00:57:05,887 --> 00:57:07,559
More than $ 100 billion
563
00:57:07,607 --> 00:57:10,758
have already been traded
on a global carbon market.
564
00:57:10,807 --> 00:57:13,958
Governments, businesses
and individuals are starting to
565
00:57:14,007 --> 00:57:18,717
offset the carbon they produce by
paying for the protection of forest.
566
00:57:18,767 --> 00:57:23,921
The Amazon is potentially worth
much more alive than dead.
567
00:57:27,207 --> 00:57:30,199
The scientists have been some of
the most important people I've met
568
00:57:30,247 --> 00:57:32,078
so far on my journey.
569
00:57:32,127 --> 00:57:35,085
They've given me a glimpse
of the big picture
570
00:57:35,127 --> 00:57:38,119
of how much the rainforest
is worth to us all.
571
00:57:39,887 --> 00:57:42,685
I've had so many different
perspectives on the Amazon
572
00:57:42,727 --> 00:57:46,879
since my journey started,
each one completely different.
573
00:57:46,927 --> 00:57:50,044
I've met some extraordinary people.
574
00:57:50,087 --> 00:57:52,840
And as my journey continues
towards the coast,
575
00:57:52,887 --> 00:57:57,039
the river's getting bigger and the
issues are certainly getting bigger.
576
00:57:57,087 --> 00:58:00,318
I've still got 1,000 miles to go,
577
00:58:00,367 --> 00:58:03,962
a lot of people to meet,
and so much more to learn.
578
00:58:04,007 --> 00:58:07,238
But there's one thing
I now know for certain.
579
00:58:07,287 --> 00:58:09,517
The true value of the Amazon
580
00:58:09,567 --> 00:58:13,560
is in keeping the forest alive
and not cutting it down.
581
00:58:15,527 --> 00:58:19,759
Next time, my expedition takes me to the
front line of the battle for the Amazon.
582
00:58:19,807 --> 00:58:23,436
Tensions are running high
and already blood has been spilt.
583
00:58:23,487 --> 00:58:27,002
I meet cowboys and see
the destruction of the forest.
584
00:58:27,047 --> 00:58:31,325
And I live with the Indians
fighting to protect it.
585
00:58:34,767 --> 00:58:41,081
If you wanna know more, visit
our website, bbc.co.uk/amazon