According to a new report from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Amazon Geo-Gated Socio-Environmental Information Network (RAISG), mining in the Amazon basin now covers more than 20% of indigenous lands.
According to the study, large-scale mining concessions and illegal mining in indigenous territories threaten hundreds of indigenous communities and threaten critical ecosystems across 450,000 square kilometers.
The WRI estimates that 1,131 indigenous lands in the Amazon are affected by legal and / or illegal mining. According to the report, illegal miners have invaded 370 indigenous lands, including many in Brazil, where all mining on indigenous lands is unregulated. According to the WRI, toxic chemicals such as mercury are leaching into at least 30 rivers in the Amazon as a result of illegal mining.
“Despite growing evidence that indigenous peoples are some of the world's greatest environmentalists, our article confirms what indigenous leaders in the Amazon have told us over the years,” says co-author and director of the Land Rights Initiative and resources at WRI by Peter Veit.
“On the other side of the Amazon, indigenous territories are under siege by mining, both legal and illegal, and this activity undermines the ability of communities to protect themselves, prevent deforestation and safeguard ecosystems that are essential to the well-being of the planet.” - says Veit.
