Illegal practice becomes legal
Bolsonaro wants more gold mining in the Amazon
2/15/2022 1:26 am
The rainforest in the Amazon region is further threatened by commercial exploitation. Brazil’s President Bolsonaro issues two decrees to expand gold mining in the Amazon region. It is unlikely that he is only interested in small-scale mining.
Right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has issued a decree to boost gold mining in the Amazon region. A program created in this way is intended to promote the further development of mining methods, especially in the Amazon region, according to a publication in the government’s official gazette. A second decree aims to make it more difficult to punish gold prospectors.
“In practice, the decrees aim to legalize a predatory practice that is progressing and destroying the environment,” comments the environmental organization Greenpeace. Gold mining is widespread in the Amazon region. Brazilian President Bolsonaro is a supporter of the economic use of the Amazon region and also wants to allow the hitherto illegal gold mining – known in Brazil as “garimpo” – in indigenous areas. Bolsonaro’s father was also once a “garimpeiro”.
Critics accuse the president of creating a social climate in which gold miners and other invaders in indigenous lands feel encouraged. The government decrees mention artisanal small-scale mining; in fact, financially strong entrepreneurs invest in the exploitation of indigenous areas with professional equipment. Illegal gold mining is often at the beginning of a chain, with prospectors being followed by loggers, ranchers and agricultural entrepreneurs. The “garimpeiros” cut deep aisles in the forest; the mercury used to dissolve the gold pollutes the water, fish die.
Since Bolsonaro took office in 2019, Amazon clear-cutting has risen to a 15-year high. Between August 2020 and July 2021, 13,235 square kilometers of rainforest were destroyed.