Researchers publishing in the journal Resources Policy warn that nearly 363,000 square kilometres of the Brazilian Legal Amazon are threatened by current and possible future mining for minerals such as copper, bauxite, manganese and iron. The Legal Amazon spans nine states and more than five million square kilometres, roughly 60 per cent of Brazil.
The zone identified as at risk is mostly forest and is home to about 178,000 indigenous people and more than 17,000 quilombolas. The team mapped critical mineral deposits alongside mining applications and approved permits and found that a third of protected areas face some level of mining pressure. They report that 73 per cent, around 267,000 square kilometres, of the threatened conservation area is forest cover.
Authors warn this is worrying even in a worst-case scenario of full exploitation. They recommend stronger territorial rights, new conservation units, and stopping licences that ignore regional cumulative impacts.
Difficult words
- threaten — put at risk of harm or damagethreatened
- mining — the activity of extracting minerals from the earth
- conservation — protection and careful use of natural areas
- indigenous — people native to a particular region or country
- permit — official permission to do an activitypermits
- quilombola — member of an Afro-Brazilian rural communityquilombolas
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Which local people or groups mentioned in the article are most affected by mining, and why?
- Which recommendation from the article do you think would help most to protect the forest? Explain briefly.
- How could loss of this forest area change daily life for nearby communities?
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