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Amazon Indigenous lands face rapid gold mining expansion
A new analysis by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) reveals that illegal gold mining is expanding at an alarming rate in the Brazilian Amazon, with the most significant growth occurring on Indigenous lands. Between 1985 and 2024, the total area affected by gold mining in the Amazon increased 20-fold, while the area within Indigenous territories expanded 24-fold. Specifically, mining on Indigenous lands grew nearly sevenfold between 2016 and 2024.
This mining surge, driven by record-high gold prices, creates compounding risks for Indigenous communities. The expansion of mining activities overlaps with increasing climate extremes, such as droughts and heatwaves, which threaten access to water, food, and healthcare. The use of mercury to separate gold from ore causes widespread water contamination that spreads through watersheds, affecting communities even outside direct mining zones.
Nearly 90% of the affected mining area is concentrated in just three territories, including the Munduruku Indigenous Territory in the state of Para. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has recently conducted hearings in the region to assess Brazil's compliance with measures intended to protect Indigenous rights following reports that illegal miners have returned to these territories.
Entities
Amazon · Amazon Environmental Research Institute · Amazon rainforest · Brazil · IPAM · Institute of Environmental Affairs in the Amazon · Institute of Environmental Research of the Amazon · Inter-American Court of Human Rights · Munduruku Indigenous Territory · Ray Pinheiro
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] Mercury used in gold extraction pollutes water systems, impacting human, animal, and plant health. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Illegal gold mining and extreme weather disproportionately affect indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] The area occupied by gold miners in the Amazon was 20 times larger in 2024 than in 1985. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Gold mining pollution spreads through watersheds, exacerbating the effects of droughts, fires, and floods. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de
- [● 4 SOURCES] Gold mining areas within indigenous territories have increased 24-fold. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de
- [● 18 SOURCES] In indigenous territories, the area affected by gold mining has increased 24-fold. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de · www.dattelner-morgenpost.de · +13 more
- [● 18 SOURCES] Pollution from gold mining spreads through watersheds and intensifies the effects of droughts, fires, and floods. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de · www.dattelner-morgenpost.de · +13 more
- [● 18 SOURCES] Mercury used to separate gold from ore pollutes water and harms human, animal, and plant health. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de · www.dattelner-morgenpost.de · +13 more
- [● 18 SOURCES] Gold mining and climate extremes reinforce each other's impacts in the same areas. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de · www.dattelner-morgenpost.de · +13 more
- [● 18 SOURCES] Indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon are disproportionately affected by illegal gold mining and extreme weather. www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · www.bbv-net.de · www.onetz.de · www.dattelner-morgenpost.de · +13 more
- [DISPUTED] Gold mining area within Indigenous lands has increased 24-fold since 1985. ipam.org.br · www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · srnnews.com · www.bbv-net.de · +3 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] Gold mining and extreme weather events create compounding risks for Indigenous communities. ipam.org.br · www.marler-zeitung.de · www.zeit.de · srnnews.com · www.bbv-net.de · +3 more