Ibama spots more than 400 illegal mining dredges on the Madeira River, in RO

Iury Lima – From Cenarium Amazon Magazine

VILHENA (RO) – More than 400 illegal mining dredges were caught by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) sailing through the region of Porto Velho and the district of Nazaré, on the Madeira River in Rondônia.

The incident occurred during an overflight carried out by the teams last weekend, according to the institute. Ibama estimates that, as a result of the mining activity, around 100 kilos of mercury will be dumped into the river during the month of August.

Read also: Pro-garimpo senator from Rondônia has farm overlapping isolated indigenous land

A new inspection carried out by the Institute on Monday 14th showed a decrease in the number of irregular vessels. Without specifying how many dredgers still follow the course of the Madeira, the agency said only that “the number is still worrying”.

Also according to Ibama, joint actions with the Federal Police (PF) will be carried out to curb the advance of illegal activity in the region. When contacted by CENARIUM AMAZON MAGAZINE, the PF declined to comment on the case.

History repeats itself

The invasion of illegal mining dredges on the Madeira River is a constant attack on the Amazon region. Almost a year ago, in October 2022, the Federal Police blew up 121 vessels of the same type, between Rondônia and Amazonas, in an action that lasted three days.

The offensive was in response to the actions of criminal organizations, as classified by the PF, which profit from environmental damage such as illegal mining. In addition to pollution, the police pointed out at the time that the activity of clandestine rafts, which work by sucking up the bottom of the river in search of gold, can change the natural course of the tributary, destroy riverside vegetation and interrupt water channels.

Read also: PF destroys gold diggers’ and deforesters’ camps in two Rondônia reserves

In another case, in November 2021, an invasion of 300 mining rafts caused panic among residents of the community of Rosarinho, in the region of Autazes and Nova Olinda, just over 100 kilometers from Manaus. All without an environmental license for mining, they almost completely blocked a stretch of the Madeira River.

Illicit wealth

A study published in June this year by the Instituto Escolhas revealed that each mining raft, especially the larger ones, earns more than R$1 million a month by extracting gold from the depths of the Amazon rivers, making a profit of more than R$ 600,000.

According to the survey, the investment alone to start a dregdes mining operation in the Amazon is over R$ 3 million.

The study also calculated the investment for land-based mining, carried out in areas close to riverbeds. In this case, the investment is around R$ 1.3 million. Revenue, on the other hand, exceeds R$ 900,000 per month.

In addition, the entire Amazon biome already has almost 180,000 hectares exploited by mining, according to MapBiomas. Most of this, more than 150,000 hectares, is gold mining alone.

Watch: Minings earn more than R$ 1 million a month in the Amazon, study reveals