Illegal mining halts develompment in the Amazon, study says

According to an analysis by the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA), municipalities with presence of illegal miners have worse living conditions than the average of the region. The average Social Progress Index (SPI) of the municipalities affected by mining is 4% lower than the Amazon average and 20% lower than the national average.

“This dismantles the narrative of the miners and the illegal groups, who say that the activity brings economic return, with job generation and benefits for the town. We see that it is exactly the opposite. If there is a financial benefit, this resource is not staying in the town. It goes somewhere, and in the municipality only the environmental impact and the need for the public authorities to spend money to repair the damage remain” says Antonio Oviedo, ISA’s advisor, and author of the study, along with Victor da Silva Araújo.

Throughout the Legal Amazon, about 6 million people, spread over at least 216 municipalities, suffer from the effects of illegal mining. Deforestation, loss of biodiversity, contamination by mercury and an increase in violence and diseases are some of the main problems caused by the activity.