After President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office earlier this year in Brazil, a glimmer of hope arose among the environmental and indigenous rights groups. The hope was that there was finally a chance to deliver on his campaign promises of better protection for the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants.
And just four months after he became president, it would seem that Lula was true to his word as Brazilian authorities have taken significant steps to address the ongoing issues. Police have managed to evict a number of illegal gold miners from the Yanomami Reserve, an area that spans the size of Portugal and is also home to around 35,000 tribesmen.
Illegal gold mining has accounted for almost half of Brazil’s export revenue, making it a rather pressing concern for the country. In order to fight it, the newly established Environment of the Amazon division within the federal policy is actively seeking international support to create robust strategies that are aimed to curb the influx of external funding and sales that are associated with illegal gold mining.
According to Reuters, so far, this new division has already made significant progress. Not only have they successfully expelled a majority of miners from the region, but they’ve also dismantled 250 mining camps and confiscated 70 primitive boats used for dredging. In addition, they also seized another 48 planes and helicopters used for smuggling the illicitly obtained gold out of the reserve.
Looking ahead, the police force aims to employ advanced techniques, like radioisotope technology, to identify the precise mineral composition of illegally mined gold. This groundbreaking approach will allow them to track and target such gold even after it has been melted down into ingots, making sure that it can’t be traded on the market easily.
The Lula administration has also shown its commitment to safeguarding the Amazon rainforest and protecting the indigenous communities that rely on this precious land for their livelihoods. Brazil is sending out a strong message about how determined the country is to combat environmental degradation and uphold the rights of those that live within the Amazon forest by taking decisive action against illegal gold mining and seeking international cooperation.
Other Good News from the Amazon
Moreover, the Brazilian administration’s efforts in the Yanomami Reserve show that the authorities have outlined specific plants to remove miners from another six Amazon reserves before the year ends. In the meantime, they are currently establishing a permanent, floating police station on a river with the Yanomami Reserve.
At the moment, the Brazilian government is taking a careful evaluation of the most effective legislative measures available to tackle this issue. With 804 miners in total apprehended during the raids who were also subsequently released, others managed to escape police capture.
As for the newly appointed director for environment crime reduction in the Amazon division for Brazil’s federal police, Humberto Freire, he told Reuters that he and his department are actively exploring the creation of a sophisticated electronic tax receipt system for transactions involving precious metals. This innovative tool hopes to track and trace the sales and distribution of potentially illegal bullion, allowing a more precise manner of figuring out which are a part of suspicious trading or activities.
Furthermore, the Lula administration is very dedicated to fighting illegal mining in the Amazon region, and these developments are great reflections of their commitment to address these issues through strategic solutions and interventions.
See more on the story from Reuters in the video below:
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