The area has been explored for the precious stone since the time of slavery, and up to a couple of years ago, multinational mining companies extracted the stone without care for the land or the Jequitinhonha river that crosses the region.
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In this Nov 14, 2015 photo, an artisanal diamond miner separates large rocks from smaller ones at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. (AP Photo / Felipe Dana) |
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This Nov 18, 2015 photo shows an area that was destroyed by diamond mining at an abandoned mine in Areinha, Minas Gerais state, Brazil. (AP Photo / Felipe Dana) |
