Amazon 
Environment 
Trade 
International 
National Illegal mining in protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon has increased five-fold since 2010, a gold rush driven largely by rising prices on international markets.
Last year, 25.4 tonnes of the metal, worth an estimated US$1.2 billion, were exported from Brazil to Switzerland. It is the second largest gold exploration market after Canada. About a fifth of that gold comes from the Amazon, according to official data.
The rush to exploit Amazonian gold has had devastating impacts on indigenous peoples such as the Kayapó, Munduruku and Yanomami, who live on reserves in the states of Pará and Roraima that were heavily exploited by gold miners. The race has been linked to increased pollution, deforestation, and the occurrence of violent crime.
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