Amazon Gold Rush Devastates Indigenous Lands

The Brazilian Amazon is facing a surge in gold mining, with Indigenous lands being hit hardest. According to an analysis by the nonprofit Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), the area affected by gold mining across the Amazon was 20 times larger in 2024 than in 1985.

However, on Indigenous lands, the growth was even more dramatic, with mining covering 24 times as much land and expanding nearly sevenfold between 2016 and 2024. Record-breaking gold prices have driven this renewed mining rush, spiking deforestation and mercury contamination of riverine and Indigenous communities.

IPAM said that the mining is aggravating the climate risks facing Indigenous communities, which are already struggling with intensified droughts and heat due to climate change. Extreme weather events threaten access to water, food, transportation, and healthcare for these communities.