Gold mining expands fastest on Indigenous lands in Brazil’s Amazon, new analysis finds

Indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon face the most significant threat from gold mining expansion, according to a new analysis by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM). In 2024, the area affected by gold mining was 20 times larger than in 1985, and on Indigenous lands, mining covered 24 times more land. The surge in gold prices, driven largely by investor demand for safe assets amid global risks, has sparked a mining rush in the Amazon, leading to increased deforestation and mercury contamination of rivers and Indigenous communities.

Climate change, primarily caused by human activities, has intensified droughts and heat in the Amazon, threatening access to water, food, transportation, and healthcare for Indigenous communities. Expanding illegal mining further contaminates rivers, accelerates environmental degradation, and fuels health problems and violence, weakening Indigenous communities' ability to adapt.

Almost 90% of the affected area is concentrated in three territories, with the Munduruku Indigenous Territory in the northern state of Para being one of them. Despite federal operations expelling illegal miners in 2024 and 2025, they have returned to the territory. Indigenous leaders have reported health impacts such as a surge in malaria cases, higher infant mortality rates, and mercury contamination affecting children's development.

Although Brazilian authorities have stepped up efforts to combat illegal mining, enforcement has not eliminated it entirely. When authorities destroy mining equipment, miners often relocate or resume operations after officials leave. In the Munduruku territory, Indigenous watchdogs identified 10 new illegal mining sites as of August.

The Brazilian Ministry of Human Rights acknowledged the need for a "more detailed technical response" to mercury contamination during a Sept. 10 statement. Meanwhile, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) emphasized that protecting the Munduruku territory requires more than just removing invaders. They noted that mining is part of a transnational criminal economy, with armed groups controlling extraction, gold, and drug trafficking along the same river routes. Apib also highlighted the need for legal permits to legitimize illegally extracted gold.