Forty three percent of all mining requests on the indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon lands are for gold extraction, an InfoAmazonia data analysis reveals. In several of these targeted areas, satellite images show that there is gold mining already taking place without authorization.
Category: Brazil
Proposal to remove Mato Grosso from the Legal Amazon allows deforestation of an area the size of Pernambuco
The measure can expand forest losses by at least 100,000 km² in the state, according to an analysis by the Forest Code Observatory, and harm socio-environmental and economic agendas throughout the country.
New study suggests that mercury contamination is widespread among residents of the Amazon
Although living 186 miles away from the area along the Tapajós River where illegal mining is concentrated, Santarém’s inhabitants are at high risk of mercury poisoning.
Proposed Brazil-Peru road through untouched Amazon gains momentum
Scientists and residents of the Serra do Divisor National Park fear impacts of development on the unique biodiversity of the area between Brazil’s Acre state and Peru
The distribution of rainfall and droughts is changing in the Amazon Basin
Through satellite images, researchers shed light on the distribution and circulation of water and other environmental changes in the rainforest. Records help measure the impacts of deforestation, mining, and hydroelectric power in the largest river basin on the planet.
Improving the position of hydroelectric plants would reduce impacts on the Pan-Amazon
Researchers from American and European institutions have created a method to improve the planning and implementation of hydroelectric plants while reducing socio-environmental impacts on the rainforest.
The Amazon’s most devastating January
Deter’s alerts recorded the largest deforestation in the forest since 2016. The destruction was concentrated in the states of Mato Grosso, Roraima, and Pará and advanced on areas in southern Amazonas and in the region around the BR-319 highway. Deforestation is fueled by a lack of oversight and is expected to grow this year.
A Brazilian congressman created an armed militia in the Legislative Assembly that spied on and kidnapped opponents
Confidential documents obtained by InfoAmazonia detail how a Brazilian politician commanded an armed militia that spied on and kidnapped opponents in the Amazon.
Prodes and Deter: get to know these strategic systems in the fight against deforestation in the Amazon
The INPE programs are vital to keep the forest standing. While Prodes generates annual deforestation rates, Deter makes daily alerts to improve monitoring against tree cutting and fires.
Endangered Amazonian mangroves protect the climate, wildlife, and economies
The Amazon holds 80% of Brazil’s mangroves. A bridge between terrestrial and marine environments, mangrove formations guard stores of greenhouse gases, shelter unique species, and maintain human populations, but they are under threat.