Brazil has ramped up efforts to quell illegal gold mining over the last two years. Police raids in the Brazilian Amazon’s gold capital have destroyed mining machinery, leaving miners angry and struggling to keep their operations running, Mongabay’s Fernanda Wenzel reports.
Federal agents destroyed 150 backhoes and 600 dredgers used in illegal mining in 2023, cutting deforestation from mining by 30% compared with the previous year. Almost all efforts were concentrated in the Itaituba municipality in Pará state, which produces 75% of Brazil’s illegal gold. The crackdown has sparked protests and frustration in Itaituba, where most people rely on gold mining for income, culminating in a 10-day protest in April, Wenzel writes.
Rampant gold mining has caused widespread environmental destruction in the Amazon Rainforest, including polluted rivers, mercury contamination, large-scale fish deaths and deforestation.
But most clandestine miners, or garimpeiros, are frustrated with the government’s actions. “[They] burned my excavator and broke everything with no mercy,” mine owner Carlos Mendes Moares told Mongabay.
For many, gold mining is their primary source of income. José Maria Silva de Souza, another clandestine mine boss, lost two backhoes valued at 1.5 million reais ($272,000 now) but is determined to continue. “I’m not thinking of giving up,” he said, and is now using less efficient methods to keep his illegal operation running.
The war on illegal gold mining marks a shift since President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in January 2023, following his vows to reverse the environmental damage caused during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who openly opposed environmental regulations.
Lula’s government has also tightened rules on gold sales, requiring more checks on the source of gold, which has made it harder to sell gold in Itaituba, where much of the trade is illegal.
State legislator Wescley Tomaz, a key supporter of the miners, argues that the government should focus on legalizing operations. “What is irregular can be made regular,” he told Mongabay.
Legalizing a clandestine mine involves National Mining Agency approval and an environmental license, which requires miners repair damage caused by their activities. A license costs approximately 50,000 reais (about $9,000 now) and takes about six months to process, Tomaz said.
Mines located within Indigenous territories or fully protected conservation units are outright forbidden, though 10% of mined land in the Amazon — totaling 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) — is on Indigenous lands.
Miners in Itaituba remain defiant, calling for legalization as their livelihoods hang in the balance. As enforcement ramps up, the political struggle between preserving the environment and supporting local economies in the Amazon continues.
(This is a summary of “Resilient and resourceful, Brazil’s illegal gold capital resists government crackdown” by Fernanda Wenzel.)
Banner image: A miner in the Creporizinho village of Itaituba displays two chains: one with a large nugget shaped like Brazil and the other, which he had custom-made, featuring the essential tools for artisanal mining — a shovel, pick and pan. Image by Fernando Martinho.
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