It is not just today that the situation of illegal mining is a serious problem for the Amazon region. The presence of the environmental protection agenda in Brazil is historic, a country that houses a huge portion of the Amazon rainforest and faces a series of difficulties for its proper preservation.
Although not a new problem, the current global situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic makes the problem even more serious. Understand why.
What are the problems caused by illegal mining?
Following are the main damages caused by the practice of illegal gold prospectors in Amazonas and region:
Deforestation:
The extent of the green area suppressed over the years due to the presence of illegal mining is striking. According to a BBC article published in June 2019, the most exported product by Roraima last year was gold [t1]. The fact that there are no mines operating legally in the state indicates that all of this gold mining was done illegally.
Release of pollutants in soil and water:
One element widely used in mining is mercury. Its use has the function of facilitating the agglutination of gold grains. The release of mercury into river waters promotes contamination of fish and all species that feed on them, which harms the entire food chain. The infiltration of mercury also makes the soil in the region contaminated, which puts all life on the site at serious risk.
Invasion of indigenous lands:
Indigenous peoples are affected by all these factors, both by deforestation and by contamination of water and soil. In addition, they suffer yet another attack: the invasion of their lands. Considered rich in gold, many areas inhabited for generations by local tribes are invaded. The invasion process is violent and coerces the indigenous population, because, in general, illegal gold miners carry firearms such as pistols and shotguns.
All the aggravations caused when illegal mining grows to represent a risk not only for the preservation of the Amazon region but for the ecological and climatic health of the entire continent. The climate benefits provided by Amazon, the largest tropical forest in the world, are invaluable. Amazonian springs and rivers also play an important role in the whole of Brazil and also other countries. Also included among the values of the region is all its wealth with regard to the diversity of its fauna and flora, in addition to the indigenous culture strongly present in the place. All of these elements are seriously threatened at a time of global crisis like the one we faced as a result of Covid-19.
How does the coronavirus aggravate the situation?
All the data presented here reveal major flaws in the work done by federal police, prosecutors, and technicians from the National Mining Agency (ANM). It is, therefore, an unprecedented problem for the region and not for the country. What changes with the arrival of the coronavirus in Brazil?
Illegal mines grow on the site due to the reduction of environmental inspection [t2]. Many field inspectors fall into the so-called “risk group” of the disease, that is, they participate in the age group for which Covid-19 has the highest lethality. While these professionals leave the scene, there are no prospects for new hires due to the limited budget imposed by the Federal Government.
Despite fears that reduced protection could lead to increased deforestation, officials from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) say that Brazil will reduce efforts to combat environmental crimes. Funds and other government measures will apparently be focused on actions regarding the coronavirus outbreak.
The reduction in inspection already has effects, such as an increase in the flow of Brazilian gold miners heading to French Guiana, taking advantage of the weakening of border control. This increase is denounced by indigenous people [t3] who noticed the growing flow of illegal boats on the Oirapoque river.
What is being done to combat illegal mining?
Brazil has a great responsibility in the fight for the preservation of the Amazon since approximately 60% of this enormous tropical forest is found within our national territory. This is a responsibility that our country has in relation to all the others since the capacity of the forest to absorb greenhouse gases that would harm climatic conditions throughout the planet is immense. However, the current situation of the Federal Government does not favor the preservation of the region. On the contrary, this political organization ends up producing the conditions in which illegal mining today grows.
The global dissatisfaction in general in relation to the increase in deforestation and fires in the Brazilian Amazon forest is remarkable, a fact that has grown even more since the inauguration of the current President Jair Bolsonaro. Under the argument that the application of “development plans” in the region could contribute to the national economy and lift large numbers of Brazilians out of poverty, Bolsonaro has been putting the integrity of the conditions of the Amazon ecosystem at risk.
Management problems like this are even more evident during the coronavirus outbreak. The information expressed by the Government and Ibama is contradictory, which now affirm the irrevocable need to reduce the number of surveillance employees (at least, remove professionals who fall into the age group of greatest risk) for their protection and, sometimes, state that there will be no reductions and that protecting the Amazon remains a priority.
Amid neglect and the lack of a more efficient positioning, the population is increasingly inclined to offer support to non-governmental entities that work in the fight for environmental preservation. Contributing to this type of action is essential for the protection of countless plant, animal, and indigenous culture species that inhabit the region.
