Gold Miners Threaten Amazon Rainforest and Native Tribes

Indigenous chief Bepdjo Mekragnotire is getting ready to fight gold miners who are invading his people's land in Brazil's Amazon rainforest. The miners are breaking the law by entering the protected Bau Indigenous Territory in Para state. Chief Bepdjo and his Kayapo warriors have already kicked out almost 200 miners four years ago. Now the miners are coming back because gold prices are very high around the world.

Chief Bepdjo, who is 45 years old, wears a red feather headdress and lives in the village of Pykany. He told reporters that the miners are stubborn and will enter the territory by any means necessary. The price of gold has reached record highs because of problems around the world. In February, his warriors found 24 miners in a canoe and forced them to leave.

Flying over the Amazon, reporters could see the damage mining causes to the rainforest. Large areas of forest have been cut down and rivers have been dug up for mines. But when the plane reached Indigenous territories, the green forest was still intact. This shows that Indigenous lands protect against climate change and forest destruction.

Between 2018 and 2025, mining damaged 223,000 hectares in Brazil, with 80 percent being illegal. President Lula's government has been trying to stop illegal mining since 2023. The mining operations now use large machines and fleets of small airplanes. Government officials say miners are moving deeper into the jungle to hide from authorities.