Illegal mining up 500pc in decade
Illegal mining expanded by nearly 500 percent on protected indigenous reservations in Brazil in a decade, and by more than 300 percent on protected park lands, according to a study released Monday.
The massive surge in mining activity from 2010 to 2020 raised new concerns about the impact on the Amazon rainforest, where the race for gold is fueling deforestation and leaving rivers polluted with mercury.
The study also found the total area covered by mines, both legal and illegal, is nearly six times bigger today than in 1985 in Brazil. Of that area, 72.5 percent is in the Amazon, a vital resource in the race to curb climate change.
In the 12 months through July, a total of 8,712 square kilometers of forest cover -- an area nearly the size of Puerto Rico -- was destroyed in the Brazilian Amazon, according to official figures. Last week, an estimated 6,000 indigenous demonstrators protested outside the seat of government in Brasilia, accusing Bolsonaro of "anti-indigenous" policies.
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