Full Breakdown
IPAM Reports Surge in Amazon Gold Mining and Launches China Partnerships to Tackle Climate Threats
By Drooid · · How we work
Expanding Threats to Indigenous Lands
The Amazon Environmental Research Institute released a new analysis showing that gold-mining activity in the Brazilian Amazon has grown dramatically. The total area impacted by mining in 2024 is about 20 times larger than in 1985, and on Indigenous territories the footprint is 24 times larger. Between 2016 and 2024 the covered area expanded nearly sevenfold. Almost 90 % of the affected land is concentrated in three Indigenous territories, including the Munduruku Indigenous Territory in Pará. The report links the surge to record-high gold prices, which have intensified a mining rush that brings deforestation, mercury contamination of rivers, and heightened health risks for Indigenous communities.
Government Response and Enforcement
Under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, federal police and environmental agencies have intensified operations against illegal mining networks, using forensic tracing of gold to identify illicit metal. Brazil’s Ministry of Human Rights confirmed that officials attended hearings with the Munduruku people, discussed continued territorial enforcement, and pledged improvements to water supply and food safety. The ministry also acknowledged the need for a “more detailed technical response” to mercury contamination. Brazilian law prohibits mining on Indigenous lands, yet miners often relocate after equipment is destroyed, re-establishing operations elsewhere.
China Collaboration Agreements
IPAM signed two memoranda of understanding with Chinese institutions. In Beijing, IPAM’s executive director André Guimarães and Shenggen Fan, dean of the Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy at China Agricultural University, formalized a joint research agenda on sustainable food systems.
> “The agreement strengthens international scientific cooperation on issues such as climate change, air pollution, and ecosystem conservation to understand and address the environmental challenges facing the Amazon, the Cerrado, and the Pantanal.” — Vanessa Soares Ribeiro, researcher at IPAM
A second MOU was signed with the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Fudan University during a Brazil-China youth dialogue on sustainable development.
> “In the context of global change, China and Brazil are among the world’s most important nations for sustainable development. Our joint research on forest fires, climate change, and environmental health is essential, not only for understanding the current trajectory of global change but also for identifying the solutions that our two countries—and the world—urgently need.” — Li Qing, professor at Fudan University
The collaborative projects include the Global Assessment from Local Observations (GALO), a five-year initiative funded with R$ 9.9 million from Bayer, aimed at quantifying climate risk for rural properties and evaluating regenerative agricultural practices. More than 70 farmers in Mato Grande do Sul and the Matopiba region have already received farm-level analyses.
International Symposium and Future Plans
IPAM participated in the 2nd Brazil-China Symposium on Forests and Nature in Hangzhou, China. The event gathered researchers, government officials, financiers, and industry representatives to discuss forest protection, biodiversity, food security, and sustainable agriculture.
> “We’ve crossed the 1.5 °C temperature threshold, but that’s not the end of the Paris Agreement. The faster we act, the faster we’ll get back on track. To do this, we must cooperate, and Brazil and China are two natural players in this process: two major leaders from the Global South who need to work together.” — André Guimarães, executive director of IPAM
What’s Next
IPAM’s agenda continues with meetings later this month focused on regenerative agriculture and agrifood system resilience, as part of the broader GALO program. The institute plans to expand its technical response to mercury contamination in Indigenous territories and to disseminate research findings through joint publications, conferences, and policy briefs with its Chinese partners.