wakingtimes.com
Unprecedented New Map Unveils Illegal
Mining Destroying Amazon
WakingTimes
4-6
minutes
Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch
Waking Times
A first-of-its-kind
map has unveiled widespread environmental damage and contamination of
the Amazon rainforest
caused by the rise illegal mining.
The survey, released Monday by the Amazon
Socio-Environmental Geo-Referenced Information Project (RAISG), identifies
at least 2,312 sites and 245 areas of prospecting or extraction of
minerals such as gold, diamonds and coltan in six Amazonian countries—Bolivia,
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. It also identified 30
rivers affected by mining and related activities.
gThe scope of illegal mining in the
Amazon, especially in indigenous territories and protected natural areas, has
grown exponentially in recent years, with the rise in the price of gold,h said
Beto Ricardo, head of the RAISG, in an accompanying report about
the map.
Survey reveals more than 2,000 points
and 200 illegal mining areas in six Amazonian countries.RAISG
The map is a compilation of primary
information from RAISG partners, analysis of satellite images and news stories
published in the six countries up to 2017.
gThe problem is worse than at any other
time in history,h Alicia Rolla, one of the coordinators at RAISG, told theNew York Times
.
gWe wanted to give visibility to the enormity of an issue that doesnft respect
borders.h
Of the 245
identified extraction areas, 110 sites were in Perufs Madre de Dios
region—ground zero of the countryfs gold rush, and home of the massive and
rapidly expanding gLa Pampah illegal gold mine. This formerly lush Amazonian
department contained the gmost pronounced degradation caused by gold
prospecting,h the report said.
Small-scale
gold mining operations involves the use of mercury to
separate gold from grit. When the toxic metal is released into the soil or
bodies of water, it can enter the food chain and lead to health problems for
local and indigenous communities, as Reuters noted.
gIllegal mining can kill us,h
Agustin Ojeda, an indigenous leader of Venezuelafs Shirian people, said in the
RAISG report.
gThe mining wells allow for the
reproduction of mosquitoes that bring diseases, such as malaria. The effect of
mercury on water isnft taken seriously either. It not only contaminates water
but also the fish we eat,h he explained.
According to the RAISG report:
gIn Peru, preliminary results
from a study by CINCIA reveal that mercury
levels in fish are 43 percent higher in wells abandoned by gold mining
than in areas where there is no gold prospecting. Samples of fish were
collected in seven lakes in the abandoned mining areas of Maze, Tambopata,
Madre de Dios and Inambari. In addition, fish samples were collected in two
lakes or riverside lagoons and a river in the Manu National Park, as a control
area with no mining activity.h
Nilo
DfAvila, campaigns director at Greenpeace
Brazil, told the Guardian that
the RAISG map confirmed his own research showing garimpo—or
artisanal mining for gold and other minerals in Amazon forests and rivers—is
increasing.
gThere is
a garimpo epidemic in Brazil,h he said. gWe are talking about
impact on biodiversity and forests, we are talking about the use of mercury, we
are talking about stealing riches from indigenous people and from Brazil.h
The illegal
La Pampa gold mine, seen here in 2017, has devastated the Peruvian Amazon and
spread poisonous mercury. Planet Labs
One of the
affected most affected by mining is Yanomami territory, which extends between
Brazil and Venezuela. It contained 55 illegal mining sites in protected areas,
the map showed.
The map was
released just weeks before Brazilfs president-elect, Jair Bolsonaro, takes office next month.
Environmental groups have raised concerns about what his presidency could mean
for the future of the Amazon, as Bolsonaro has promised to open more of the
rainforest to development.
gIllegal
mining is a serious threat to the Amazon rainforest and the indigenous peoples
who call it home,h Moira Birss, spokeswoman for Amazon Watch told Reuters.
gThis
report provides important new data and clearly demonstrates the scope of the
problem, and as such is a call to action to regional governments and the
companies that purchase the illegally-mined minerals to take bold, concrete
action to stop the destruction.h
Like Waking Times on Facebook. Follow Waking Times on Twitter.
Unprecedented New Map Unveils
Illegal Mining Destroying Amazon was last modified: December 12th, 2018 by