Rio de Janeiro, May 26 (IANS) Indigenous people in northern Brazil lost around 200 hectares of forest in the first quarter of 2021 due to illegal gold mining, according to a report.
The report was published by the Hutukara Associacao Yanomami association.
If the development continues at such a pace, Brazil’s indigenous Yanomami people fear a new record in 2021, DPA reported.
In 2020, 500 hectares of Amazon forest were destroyed on their protected territory.
Yanomami territory has seen 2,130 hectares destroyed by gold mining.
The land is riddled with deep craters and gold mining camps.
A Supreme Court judge in Brasilia ruled on Monday that the Brazilian government must do everything in its power to guarantee the security of the Yanomami and Munduruku indigenous territories.
Illegal gold miners recently attacked police and indigenous people as part of a struggle over the land.
At least five people – four gold miners and one indigenous man – were injured by gunfire.
Yanomami territory is one of the largest protected areas for indigenous communities in Brazil, covering nearly 10 million hectares in the states of Roraima and Amazonas.
It is home to some 27,000 Yanomami, who are also native to neighbouring Venezuela.
The Yanomami became known for their fight against invaders and the Transamazonica road construction project. The Yanomami estimate 20,000 illegal gold miners are in their territory.