Green fever

Beautiful appearance of moldavites, but also the high price and demand for them have led to the mass mining in several Czech localities. In recent years, the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that villages near the localities have been working together with police on a solution to the problem. A number of localities are under surveillance and moldavite diggers are threatened with fines and some have even ended up in prison. 

The problem is that very often the moldavite diggers do not backfill the holes, which are up to several metres deep. A careless person can be seriously injured while walking through the woods, where the digging is often taking place. Holes also destabilise the trees, making them more likely to fall in the event of high winds.

In spite of regular inspections of the localities, it is not possible to effectively prevent illegal mining. It turns out that for a lot of people, moldavites are the only source of income they have. This is why the fines are not stopping them from destroying the nature.

It is clear that the rules that are currently in place are not sufficient and further action against the illegal moldavite mining can be expected in the near future. If this does not happen, there would be a risk that localities would become very dangerous, not only for people but also for animals, due to the number of holes. In addition, forestry workers face a difficult working environment there.