Deforestation threat to Amazon indigenous areas if protected status changed - report

Image source, Ricardo Teles/ Agência Vale

A new report claims that areas of the Amazon rainforest with a combined area the size of England could be threatened by new mining.

It is illegal to mine in the protected territories of the Amazon.

Jair Bolsonaro wants to change this to allow more exploitation for economic development.

The report says that US and UK companies applied to open new mines.

Both Anglo American and Vale have withdrawn their applications.

The Amazon is important in the fight to curb climate change because it has an enormous number of trees.

There are many indigenous people who live in these areas.

Some of the most pristine areas of the Amazon are being deforested. If mining goes ahead on indigenous lands, it will be a tragedy, according to researcherRosana Miranda.

She asked if we were willing to give up incredibly rich biodiversity and cultural diversity just to get more gold and copper for international shareholders.

Amazon Watch and the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil are using real-time live applications to identify mining projects in protected areas. There are 2,622 applications.

The UK multi-national Anglo-American has 65 applications, while Brazilian company Vale has 75.

Image source, Amazon Watch

Over 500 companies have applied for permission to begin work in areas affecting 260 indigenous lands, covering 101,000 square kilometres. Almost half of them are for gold mining.

Anglo American withdrew applications to mine on indigenous lands several years ago. Several of these applications have not been removed from the database of the National Mining Agency. Anglo American is working with the Brazilian government to make sure that on-line tenement databases reflect those that have been formally approved.

Last year, the company announced the relinquishment of all its mining rights in Indigenous Land in Brazil.

Toxic spills, river pollution and the destruction of indigenous communities have been associated with mines run by global corporations.

The death of the rivers, the forest, the people, and the culture is at stake in this mining project.

Image source, Alessandra Munduruku

The report suggests that shareholders around the world are involved in the destruction of the Amazon and that huge amounts of international finance is supporting mining companies.

Capital Group and BlackRock hold stakes in companies trying to mine indigenous lands.

According to the report, eight large mining companies received $54.1 billion in financing from banks or asset managers in 2016-21.

Capital Group does not comment on its holdings. Blackrock Investment Stewardship believes it is important for companies to obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous peoples for initiatives that affect their rights, according to their guidance.

The applications have been submitted to Brazil's mining agency. These areas of the Amazon are not allowed to be developed.

The president says it's necessary to open up the rainforest to new exploitation to lift people out of poverty.

He wants to make it possible to exploit these regions. Amazon Watch says that companies who have filed for the right to mine would be first in line.

More development of the Amazon would be a disaster for the climate and people living there, according to campaigners.

141 countries, including Brazil, signed a declaration at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow last year to stop and reverse deforestation by the year 2030.