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As much as 98% of the gold sold from areas surrounding indigenous lands in Brazil between 2018 and 2020 has indications of irregularity, according to sustainability organization Instituto Escolhas.
Illegally mined gold may be declared as coming from authorized areas when sold into the market, the Institute said in the report, which reviewed government trade records and mining permit applications. The illegal mining within the Amazon is contributing to deforestation, disrupting indigenous communities and exacerbating effects of climate change.
The report considered two possibilities as evidence of illegal trade: when the gold trade is registered in a mining title with indications of extraction outside the designated mining area, and when registered under so-called “shell titles,” which are authorized mining areas, but without any evidence of identified mining activity.
The group called for establishing a traceability system for Brazilian gold, adopting digital systems and physically marking the metal. It also asked the cancel of 1,304 permit applications for gold mining within indigenous territories and protected areas in the Amazon.
(By Mariana Durao)
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