Brazil gold mining rush brings deforestation and mercury risks to the Amazon
An Associated Press report says record gold prices have fueled an illegal mining rush in Brazil's Amazon, driving deforestation in protected areas and hazardous mercury contamination. A new study by Amazon Conservation and Instituto Socioambiental found illegal mining clearing forest in three Xingu conservation areas, while officials describe enforcement as a cat-and-mouse game as miners relocate, and researchers warn criminal groups and mercury-tainted fish endanger Indigenous communities.
