General Heleno Authorizes the Advance of Gold Mining in Preserved Areas in the Amazon

General Heleno Authorizes the Advance of Gold Mining in Preserved Areas in the Amazon
Region of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, Brazil. Christian Braga/Greenpeace.

06/12/2021

Sofia Dolabela

America and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

In a gesture unprecedented by the National Defense Council [1] in the last ten years, General Augusto Heleno, Minister of the Institutional Security Cabinet of the Presidency (GSI) [2], authorized the advance of seven gold mining projects in an almost untouched region of the Amazon, in the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, in the extreme northwest of Amazonas, on Brazil's border with Colombia and Venezuela. The town is known as "the most indigenous town in Brazil" as it is home to 23 indigenous ethnic groups, including the Yanomâni, Tukano, Wanano, and Baniwa. 

A survey conducted by the Folha de São Paulo newspaper showed that Heleno has granted 81 mining permits in the Amazon since 2019, with the largest amount in 2021 (45). The seven projects that recently obtained the authorization for advancement encompass an area of 12.7 thousand hectares. 


Notes:

[1] The National Defense Council is an advisory collegiate body that assists the president concerning national sovereignty and territorial defense. The executive secretary of the Council is the minister of GSI of the Presidency.

[2] General Augusto Heleno has been Minister of the GSI since the beginning of Jair Bolsonaro's government. It is up to him to allow or not specific practices in the border strip.

Sources and further readings

Sassine, V. (2021, December 5). General Heleno autoriza avanço de garimpo em áreas preservadas na Amazônia. Folha de S. Paulo. Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ambiente/2021/12/general-heleno-autoriza-avanco-de-garimpo-em-areas-preservadas-na-amazonia.shtml