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illegal amazon gold mining
Credit: Carsten ten Brink/Flickr

The battle against illegal goldmining in the Amazon – in pictures

A year after Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, declared a humanitarian crisis among the Yanomami and vowed zero tolerance for illegal mining, environmental enforcers have said the progress since the ousting from the reservation of 80% of the wildcat miners is in jeopardy.

mercury contamination illegal mining
Credit: PangaMedia/BigStock Photo ID: 323248420

Hunger for gold means the Amazon has reached 'tipping point' of mercury contamination from illegal mining

The rising value of gold worldwide has amplified illegal mining in the Amazon, where liquid mercury is being dumped in the Amazon River and causing scientists to warn that Indigenous communities and the environment could pay a far greater price.
Gold mining mercury poisoning

Gold mining is poisoning the planet with mercury

Ten years after an international treaty to ban mercury, the toxic metal continues to poison. The reason might have to do with your wedding ring.
illegal rainforest mining crackdown post-Bolsonaro
Tropical Forest Fires Watch/Flickr/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/2020. Credit line: © Priscila Tapajowara / If Not Us Then Who

Driving out the rainforest invaders: crackdown on illegal mining brings hope after Bolsonaro era

Ibama agent Hugo Loss says he and his team have neutralised mining equipment in Operation Xapiri.

Amazon river mercury threat
Gregory "Slobirdr" Smith/Flickr/Commercial use & mods allowedhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Amazon river dolphins warn of mercury threat to humans

The beloved pink river dolphins are canaries in the Amazonian coal mine, warning of the threat the heavy metal poses to humans.
Brazil Indigenous land conflicts
Sam valadi/Flickr/Commercial use & mods allowed

Brazilian police probe deadly shooting on Indigenous land

Brazil’s federal police said Sunday they are investigating a shooting that killed one and wounded two Yanomami Indigenous people, saying the main suspects were illegal gold miners working in that area of Roraima state.

Amazon’s illegal mining gold database
abram/Flickr/Commercial use & mods allowedhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

‘Gold library’ helps Brazil crack down on Amazon’s illegal mining

The information is allowing the Federal Police to create a chemical fingerprint of each sample, which they can then use to cross-reference the origin of seized or suspicious gold.

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