Impacts of gold mining on the Amanã river, Amazon Basin

• Autor(a) principal: Ribeiro Marinho, Rogério
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Ribeiro, Diogo Ferreira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Revista Verde Grande (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://www.periodicos.unimontes.br/index.php/verdegrande/article/view/6571
• topic: Mineração ilegal; Impactos Ambientais; Escudo Brasileiro; Mining; Environmental impacts; Brazilian Shield; Minería; Impactos ambientales; Escudo brasileño

This article presents an analysis of the impacts of illegal gold mining in the Amanã River basin, located between the states of Amazonas and Pará. The research was based on data made available by the Mapbiomas Project between the years 1985 and 2020 and surface water images (OLI Landsat-8 sensor). The results indicated a 40% reduction in native vegetation (grassland formation), a 22% reduction in water bodies, and a 459% increase in mining areas between 2010 and 2020. Additionally, the activity of illegal gold mining may have resulted in a 2 to 3 times increase in the turbidity of the Amanã River compared to the Paracuí and Maués-Açú rivers. In monetary terms, over three decades, the illegal gold production in this basin may have resulted in total damage to R$ 6.72 billion due to the lack of tax revenue, river erosion/sedimentation problems, and deforestation and degradation of native vegetation. The results of this study provide updated analyses that can support management actions by public authorities, especially environmental monitoring agencies, regarding the impacts of illegal gold mining.