Republic World
By Associated Press – September 7, 2021
Illegal gold mining continues to wreak havoc on the Amazon Rainforest, activists say, causing deforestation and polluting pristine streams and rivers with mercury and other toxic chemicals. Despite recent efforts by the federal government, using the army and IBAMA (Environment and Natural Resources Brazilian Institute) in joint operations of finding and shutting down illegal miners, the lure of gold continues to bring eager prospectors to the vast jungle region.
The Amazon biome contains 93% of all gold mining in Brazil, according to MapBiomas, a research initiative formed by a network of NGOs, universities and technology companies. Between 1985 and 2020, the area mined in the country grew six times, from 31-thousand acres to 206-thousand acres.