{"id":7012,"date":"2018-12-17T10:35:56","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T12:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amazoniasocioambiental.org\/radar\/illegal-mining-worse-than-at-any-other-time-threatens-amazon-study-finds\/"},"modified":"2018-12-18T11:19:41","modified_gmt":"2018-12-18T13:19:41","slug":"illegal-mining-worse-than-at-any-other-time-threatens-amazon-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.raisg.org\/es\/radar\/illegal-mining-worse-than-at-any-other-time-threatens-amazon-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal Mining, \u2018Worse Than at Any Other Time,\u2019 Threatens Amazon, Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"

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An illegal mine in Yanomami territory of indigenous people in Roraima, Brazil. In one community of Yanomami, 92 percent of the hair samples showed high levels of mercury contamination, according to a study.<\/em> (<\/span>Rogerio Assis\/Instituto Socioambiental)<\/span><\/p>\n

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By\u00a0Shasta Darlington<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The New York Times<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dec. 10, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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S\u00c3O PAULO, Brazil \u2014 Fueled by the surging price of gold, an epidemic of illegal gold mining in the Amazon is threatening indigenous territories and other protected lands in the world\u2019s largest tropical rain forest, according to\u00a0a study<\/a>\u00a0published by a group of environmental organizations this week.<\/p>\n

Analyzing data from six Amazon countries, researchers identified 2,312 illegal mining sites and 245 large-scale areas where miners have established sophisticated infrastructure, tearing down native forests and contaminating rivers with mercury as they dredge for gold and extract diamonds and coltan, which are used to make mobile phones.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is worse than at any other time in history,\u201d said Alicia Rolla, one of the coordinators at the Amazon Geo-Referenced Socio-Environmental Information Network, known as RAISG, which published the study this week. \u201cWe wanted to give visibility to the enormity of an issue that doesn\u2019t respect borders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0compiled data from local partners, news reports and research from eight independent environmental groups that scanned satellite images, mapping mining sites in Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Each site on the map contains details about the material being mined and the mines\u2019 environmental and social impacts, such as how dredging disrupts rivers and how toxic pollutants seep into plants, animals and people. Venezuela had more illegal mines than any other country studied, followed by Brazil and Ecuador, according to the report.<\/p>\n

The researchers hope to pressure governments to work together to combat the international criminal activity.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Earlier this year, members of the Munduruku indigenous tribe trekked through the rainforest to confront illegal gold miners in their territory. (<\/span><\/em>M<\/span>eridith Kohut for The New York Times)<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen Brazilian authorities go after the miners, they flee to Venezuela and vice versa,\u201d Ms. Rolla said. \u201cThere needs to be intergovernmental cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, she said, Brazil\u2019s recent election of Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain who has vowed to end the \u201cindustry\u201d of fines imposed on companies that violate environmental laws, and halt the demarcation of indigenous lands, could represent a serious setback.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he does all the things he said he would do, things could get worse, not better,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we started working on this project more than a year ago we didn\u2019t imagine such a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Bolsonaro has made it clear he\u00a0favors allowing more commercial activity<\/a>\u00a0in the Amazon, and wants to slash the budgets of government agencies that monitor and punish illegal activity there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere there is indigenous land,\u201d he said last year, \u201cthere is wealth underneath it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Mr. Bolsonaro has stepped back from threats to eliminate Brazil\u2019s Environment Ministry and pull out of the Paris climate agreement,\u00a0Brazil withdrew from<\/a>\u00a0hosting next year\u2019s United Nations global summit on climate change after his election.<\/p>\n

For environment minister, Mr. Bolsonaro has chosen Ricardo de Aquino Salles, a lawyer who\u00a0was accused by a public prosecutor<\/a>\u00a0of illegally altering environmental impact maps while he was the environmental secretary for the state of S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n

Experts say illegal logging and land invasions in the Brazilian Amazon rose as Mr. Bolsonaro gained traction ahead of his election in October. Between August 2017 and July 2018, deforestation\u00a0rose 13.7 percent<\/a>, the highest increase in a decade, according to Brazil\u2019s Environment Ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was crazy,\u201d said Fany Ricardo, an anthropologist at Brazil\u2019s SocioEnvironmental Institute, one of the groups involved in the research. \u201cDuring the campaign deforestation rates just kept climbing and climbing, even in indigenous lands where it is strictly forbidden. Now there is still monitoring. Afterwards it\u2019s going to be worse,\u201d she added, referring to the administration of Mr. Bolsonaro, who takes office on Jan. 1.<\/p>\n

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\"\"Munduruku men and boys surveying damage caused by illegal gold miners in Posto de Vigilancia, one of the most remote Munduruku villages deep in the Amazon rainforest along the Tapaj\u00f3s River.<\/em> (<\/span>Meridith Kohut for The New York Times)<\/span><\/p>\n

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The map published by RAISG shows illegal mining sites in 37 indigenous territories \u2014 18 of them in Brazil \u2014 and near or surrounding another 78 indigenous territories.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are very serious consequences,\u201d Ms. Ricardo said. \u201cBeyond the pollution, miners are getting close to uncontacted tribes, which could pose a mortal threat in terms of illness and conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n