A new report by the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM) highlights that gold mining is a major threat to Indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon. The area impacted by gold mining across the entire Amazon region was 20 times larger in 2024 compared to 1985. On Indigenous lands specifically, mining covered 24 times as much area and expanded nearly sevenfold between 2016 and 2024. This surge is largely due to record-high gold prices, driven by investor demand for safe assets amid global economic uncertainty, which has sparked a renewed mining rush in the region. This has led to increased deforestation and mercury contamination of rivers and Indigenous communities, worsening both environmental and health conditions. The report notes that climate change, primarily caused by human activities that increase greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, has intensified droughts and heat in the Amazon. These extreme weather conditions threaten access to water, food, transportation, and healthcare for Indigenous communities. At the same time, illegal mining operations are accelerating environmental degradation, contaminating rivers, and contributing to health problems and violence, further reducing the ability of Indigenous peoples to adapt to these challenges. Nearly 90% of the affected area is concentrated in three territories, one of which is the Munduruku Indigenous Territory in the northern state of Para. Earlier this month, representatives from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights traveled to Para for a series of hearings with the Munduruku people, including sessions held on their territory. The visit aimed to assess Brazil’s compliance with provisional measures recommended by the court in 2022 to protect Indigenous communities’ rights. Munduruku leaders presented evidence, including satellite imagery and field reports, showing that illegal gold miners had returned to the territory after federal operations in 2024 and 2025 had previously driven them out. They also reported health issues, including a rise in malaria cases, higher infant mortality rates, and mercury contamination linked to developmental delays in children. Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazilian authorities have increased efforts to combat illegal mining. Police and environmental agencies have conducted major operations targeting criminal networks, while investigators are increasingly using forensic science to trace gold and identify illegally mined metal. However, enforcement has not eradicated illegal mining across the Amazon. When authorities destroy mining equipment in one area, miners often relocate or resume operations once officials leave. In the Munduruku territory, Indigenous monitors identified 10 new illegal mining sites as of August. Brazil’s Ministry of Human Rights stated in a September 10 statement that government officials attended the hearings and discussed continued enforcement efforts, as well as improvements to water supply and food safety. The ministry also acknowledged the need for a more detailed technical response to mercury contamination. Under Brazilian law, mining is prohibited on Indigenous lands. The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) stated that protecting the Munduruku territory requires more than removing illegal miners. It emphasized that gold mining is part of a transnational criminal economy, where armed groups control extraction, and gold and drugs are transported along the same river routes. Mining permits are often used to give the appearance of legality to gold extracted illegally.