Brazilian Natives Fight Back To Reclaim Their Land From Illegal Miners

Illegal gold mining is a scourge for tropical rainforests, and not less for those in South America. Large and remote areas of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela are the scene of a modern-day gold rush, in which impoverished locals search for a future less bleak than what traditional farming would provide. They can earn from $70 to $230 dollars per day—a fortune for those who would otherwise struggle to earn the same amounts in a month.

The price? Deforestation and mercury pollution are the most concerning environmental consequences. The latter is particularly worrisome, as mercury is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in the food chain through river fish, which are later consumed by humans (around 1,000 tons of mercury are released each year by small-scale gold miners in the Amazon). The most direct and immediate victims are, often, indigenous peoples.

In this story, reporter Fabio Maisonnave joins a party of Munduruku warriors on a mission to reclaim their homelands from illegal, non-native, miners. The reporter follows chief Osvaldo Wuaru as the devastation of their lands is laid bare.

“Game used to be very easy here—pig, deer, tapir. But it is all gone due to the machines and pollution. Now, only one stream still has fish, but they are all sick from mercury.”

The natives have been abandoned by the federal and state authorities, as economies have become more dependent on irregular mining. So the Munduruku have stepped into action, sailing up the dead river Tropas to reclaim their lands.

The story is a tale of greed, corruption and devastation. A fascinating look at the dark side of human nature and a struggle that seems from another time, but that's still going on today. And the war is not over.