Billions of dollars worth of illegally extracted gold are being exported from the Amazon rainforest.

An aerial photograph shows an illegal gold mine operating in the Amazon rainforest. The image was captured during a survey flight by Greenpeace over Itaituba, Brazil, on May 20. Photo: Reuters .

Despite crackdown efforts by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, unregulated gold mining in the Amazon rainforest continues.

Upon taking office in 2023, Lula pledged to end illegal gold mining on indigenous tribal lands and protected areas. Last year, the Brazilian Federal Police seized a record amount of illegally mined gold, totaling 447 kg.

Amid soaring gold prices fueled by heightened geopolitical instability, research by Greenpeace suggests that mining groups have adapted by utilizing "ghost" mining permits.

Areas where no mining activity takes place are granted legal mining licenses; these "phantom licenses" help to "launder" the origin of gold illegally mined in areas where mining is prohibited.

Greenpeace analyzed 187 areas with gold mining licenses issued by the Brazilian National Mining Authority (ANM). The results showed that 98 of these areas had no signs of mining activity whatsoever.

These "phantom licenses" were used to legitimize the sale of 26.8 tons of gold on the market between 2018 and March 2026, with an estimated value of approximately $3.88 billion .

Reuters reporters conducted a survey flight over two "fictitious" open-pit mining areas discovered by Greenpeace. Reuters confirmed that, although records showed large open-pit mining outputs from these two mines, no actual mining activity was taking place on the ground.

Meanwhile, just a six-minute flight from the area where the "false declaration" was made, journalists discovered a large-scale illegal gold mining operation operating within a protected area.

Indigenous leader Megaron Txucarramae lives in the Kayapo Menkragnoti territory in Para state, Brazil. Photo: Reuters .

Megaron Txucarramae, the leader of the Kayapo tribe, expressed his frustration with the dire situation. “Illegal gold mining on indigenous land is devastating the land, polluting rivers, and ultimately forcing the indigenous people to eat contaminated fish,” Megaron said.

In a statement sent to Reuters , Brazil's National Mining Agency said it is monitoring the permits that Greenpeace alleges are "fictitious," to identify any irregularities.

Brazil's National Mining Agency argues that with thousands of permits already issued, the Amazon region presents significant challenges in terms of oversight.

Danicley Aguiar, spokesperson for Greenpeace in Brazil, warned that illegal gold mining will continue to expand if existing loopholes are not addressed.

"As long as gold can still be legalized through fictitious licenses, this practice will continue to expand at Amazon," Aguiar warned.

Source: https://znews.vn/hang-ty-usd-vang-phi-phap-xuat-ra-tu-rung-amazon-post1655825.html