A New Gold Rush: Brazil Fails to Control Illegal Mining and Watches Mechanized Mining Thrive in Amazonia

Abstract

Mining has played a significant role in the economy of South American countries for centuries. Although industrial mining has become predominant in most countries, the expansion of the garimpos, here referred to as mechanized mining, has increased substantially. This type of mining, mainly related to gold, is not only harmful to human health due to the usage of high amounts of mercury (Hg), but its trails of disastrous environmental and social changes are equally nefarious throughout the terrestrial ecosystems. It directly contributes to forest degradation and contamination of its soil, water resources, and people. In this article, we used an Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithm based on convolutional neural networks to locate and map industrial and mechanized mining sites in Brazil from 1985 to 2022 using open-access satellite images. The extensive satellite time series analysis allowed us to quantify the growth of ~ 763% of Brazil's overall mining area, jumping from 580 km2 in 1985 to 4460 km² in 2022. Mechanized mining grew approximately 1200%, from 218 km² in 1985 to 2627 km2 in 2022. Such rapid and recent garimpo expansion, particularly in the Amazon, has raised significant concerns. The Brazilian garimpo is essentially Amazonian, as more than 91% of national mechanized mining is in this biome. Almost 40% of the mechanized mines detected in the biome are five years old or younger. This percentage increases to an alarming 62% inside indigenous lands. Thus, claims regarding Brazil's long-term cohabitation with standard mining practices cannot be sustained. At least 77% of the 2022 mechanized mining area shows explicit signs of illegality. Urgent effort is needed to combat and control illegal mining expansion. Particular attention must be given to the Kayapo, Munduruku, and Yanomami indigenous lands. These concentrate more than 90% of the garimpo extraction across indigenous territories. We conclude that the Brazilian efforts to curb illegal mining in the last five years have failed. Before the country can reverse the lack of control over illegal mining in the Amazon, there is a long way to go. It must radically improve and intensify the current strategies to fight the illicit expansion of garimpos.