Posted on June, 20 2012

In the Amazon, 37% of the national parks in 7 Amazonian countries face mining issues. The situation is particularly severe in some localities of the Western Amazon (Madre de Dios, Peru) and in the Guiana Shield (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana).

In a side event at Rio+20, WWF, through its Living Amazon Initiative, and the Coordination of Amazon Indigenous Peoples Organizations (COICA), among others, asked for governmental actions to mitigate gold mining impacts in the Amazon and launched a call to the world: stop gold mining in Amazon protected areas and Indigenous Peoples lands.

“It is essential to consider the value of the Amazon, one of the most important regions of the world, not only number one in biodiversity and ecosystem services, but strongly responsible for the planet's climate balance. Protected areas and Indigenous Peoples territories are essential to avoid ecological collapse. WWF call for the elimination of the gold mining in protected areas and in Indigenous Peoples lands. May we here, at Rio+20, reach out to governments the need for more effective and urgent decisions and actions in favour of sustainability”, stated Claudio Maretti, WWF Living Amazon Initiative leader.

Despite the fact that in the last 20 years there has been some positive evolution in terms of conservation of the Amazon biome with the creation of the largest protected area (PA) network and the drop of deforestation rates in some countries, gold mining is threatening protected areas and Indigenous Peoples lands in at least 7 Amazonian countries.

Gold rushes, in close relation to global economy, financial crisis, and strong market demand are putting the least disturbed parts of the Amazon forest and many Indigenous Peoples territories at risk. While small scale gold mining is here to stay, all efforts should be done to reduce its social and environmental impacts.

Small-scale gold mining is considered the most damaging extractive sector and there is a growing social pressure to tackle. Nowadays, it is estimated that at least 100 tons of mercury are released annually into the environment by small-scale gold mining in South America, polluting water resources and ecosystems. It is also important to understand and face health and social problems related to the activity.

"We are very worried about the question of artisanal gold mining in indigenous areas" said COICA's coordinator for International Cooperation, Juan Carlos Jintiach. "They prevent us from protecting biodiversity, our culture and our way of life. Illegal mining brings with it other sweeping social questions like prostitution, loss of identity and environmental destruction. This is an issue that needs to be taken seriously and addressed persistently with proper respect for the rights of indigenous peoples", he concluded.


In the event “Small-scale Gold Mining in the Amazon: Socio-Environmental Issues and Opportunities for Regional Change” the speakers from Peru, Colombia, Brazil, French Guiana (France), showed the state of the small-scale mining and the projects that are being developed on those countries.

“Today, if illegal gold is produced in many areas of the Amazon, it is because illegal gold is easily sold, and laundered before entering official markets. Gold traceability must become a priority for each of the Government in the Amazon”, said Laurent Kelle, WWF French Guiana country manager.