Rise in illegal mining ups pressure on Brazil's environmental policy

Illegal mining has been growing in Brazil and the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro is facing rising pressure regarding its environmental policies.

Illegal mining has expanded into new regions across the Amazon basin, even returning to previous mining areas that had been abandoned for over a decade. 

In April and May alone, 562ha were opened up for gold mining in the Xingu River basin in the Amazon region, according to NGO Instituto Socioambiental. That meant that some 22,000ha of land was deforested to enable mining operations.

The expansion of mining, mainly related to gold exploration, is taking place as precious metal prices have climbed in recent months and while the government is pressing lawmakers to approve a bill to allow exploration on indigenous lands.

"There is a lack of respect for protected areas, even without changing law. In Xingu there is a new impetus for gold mining," Vivian Rojas, lawyer and coordinator of the NGO's Xingu Program, said in a statement.

Although exploration on indigenous lands is not permitted, illegal activities are taking place while the government is looking to relax certain regulations to grow the mining industry. Both miners and farmers tend to anticipate the government's intentions and go ahead with new economic activities, particularly when oversight in remote areas is so lax.

Illegal exploration generates outbreaks of COVID-19 among indigenous people and pollutes rivers with mercury, which is used to extract gold. "With the spread of COVID-19 throughout the country, the invasion of indigenous lands and protected areas represents a double threat, the contagion of indigenous people and the destruction of the forest,” Instituto Socioambiental said.

Some 38 leaders of major national and international companies have sent a letter to the federal government calling on it to combat the rampant deforestation, according to newspaper Valor Econômico.

The CEOs who signed the letter include those of Shell, Vale, Cosan, Marfrig, Cargill, Itaú, Bradesco and Banco Santander, among others.

ENVIRONMENT MINISTER UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

Prosecutors in the country have called for the dismissal of country's environment minister, Ricardo Salles.

"Ricardo Salles promoted the restructuring of environmental policies and the changing of legal precepts to favor interests that have no relation to the purpose of the post he occupies. The process of restructuring the Brazilian environmental protection system has been carried out by acts, omissions and speeches," prosecutors said in a statement published by the public ministry (MPF).

Salles has been under pressure since May, after the supreme court ordered the release of a video recorded at an April cabinet meeting. At that meeting, Salles suggested that the government should dismantle regulations and legalize deforestation and commercial exploitation of land while the public is distracted amid the pandemic.