Mercury-Based Mining in Yanomami Indigenous Lands and Accountabilities

Abstract

Mercury-based gold exploitation in Amazonian indigenous lands is illegal and leads to socio-environmental impacts. Yanomami people living near mining areas in Uraricoera River are exposed to contamination by mercury, which is a metal with bioaccumulation properties. The aims of the current study are to analyze the interdisciplinary nature of mercury-based placer mining carried out in Yanomami Indigenous Land, Roraima State, as well as to evaluate State agencies’ responses to this phenomenon. Based on bibliographical and documentary survey of qualitative approach, which involved Yanomami’s accounts, as well as police, administrative and judicial procedures implemented from 2013 to 2017, it was possible perceiving intense use of mercury in, and damages caused by, this illicit activity, as well as insufficient state action. There are divergences between protection and responsibilities described in the Brazilian legal system and the herein investigated illegal phenomenon, which violates indigenous rights, as well as scientific and ethical imperatives that can lead to the end of the world and of the Yanomami people.