A gold-fueled mining rush scars Brazil’s Amazon, spiking deforestation and mercury risks
Illegal miners are expanding into protected forests and Indigenous lands as mercury pollution and criminal supply chains deepen, officials and researchers say.
- Global demand for critical minerals, used in electric vehicles and drones, is fueling a surge in illicit mining across the Amazon, intensifying threats to protected ecosystems and Indigenous territories.
- Amazon Conservation estimates 80% of mining-related deforestation in Brazil is likely illegal, with recent studies finding illicit mining sites drove clear-cutting across three major conservation areas in the Xingu region.
- Smugglers frequently bypass customs by mislabeling cargo or mixing minerals with iron ore, said Robert Muggah, an expert at the Igarapú Institute, adding that authorities struggle to verify the contents of shipping containers.
- Illegal mining operations dump mercury into rivers, contaminating fish consumed by local communities; a Fiocruz study found 21.3% of fish sold in public markets exceeded World Health Organization mercury limits.
- Humberto Freire de Barros, Amazon director for Brazil's federal police, said authorities are targeting the criminal supply chain and developing databanks to link extracted minerals to specific, authorized locations.
27 Articles
27 Articles
This leads to a sharp increase in deforestation and increased mercury contamination.
Associated Press News
A gold-fueled mining rush scars Brazil’s Amazon, spiking deforestation and mercury risks
Gold prices have surged in recent years, sparking a mining rush in the Amazon that accelerates deforestation and mercury contamination.
The spokesman-Review
The Seattle TimesIllegal miners loot Amazon Rainforest for critical minerals
The Amazon rainforest has been plundered for decades for rubber, timber and gold. Now, illegal prospectors are setting their sights on a new treasure: critical minerals coveted by much of the world.
Illegal miners are ravaging the Amazon at a record pace as the price of gold soars
The skyrocketing price of gold has proven to be bad news for Brazil's increasingly fragile rainforests. The reason is that mining operations have led to widespread illegal logging and associated pollution, according to the AP. They cite a study by Amazon Conservation and the Instituto Socioambiental that unequivocally reveals that trees have been clear-cut at three sites in the Xingu region. The first cases of illegal mining were discovered in …
The sharp rise in the price of gold has proved to be bad news for the increasingly fragile Brazilian rainforest. The reason is that mining operations have led to widespread illegal logging and associated pollution, according to AP. They cite a study by Amazon Conservation and the Socio-Environmental Institute that reveals unequivocally that trees have been felled in three places in the Xingu region. The first cases of illegal mining were discove…
Global demand for critical minerals, used to manufacture drones and electric vehicles, is on the rise, bringing a new wave of crime to the world's largest rainforest. The Amazon rainforest has been plundered for decades for its rubber, timber, and gold. Now, illegal miners […]
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