Indigenous lands with more mining have 176 excavators – 04/11/2023 – Environment

Greenpeace flew over the three indigenous lands in the Amazon most impacted by illegal gold mining and recorded the existence of 176 hydraulic excavators operating illegally in the exploitation of the ore. The survey covers the period from 2021 to March 2023.

The unprecedented mapping carried out by the NGO identified who are the manufacturers of this heavy machinery. A single machine is capable of carrying out an excavation in 24 hours that three men would take 40 days to complete.

The presence of excavators in the ILs (indigenous lands) Kayapó and Mundurucu, in Pará, and Yanomami, in Roraima, guarantees the illegal exploitation of gold on a large scale, with extensive devastation of territories and irreversible impacts on communities.

In the report, Greenpeace states that the sale of excavators in these areas needs to be stopped; which GPS devices must be activated to prevent the operation of machines on indigenous lands; and which destroyed areas must be restored and communities compensated by these manufacturers.

Of the 176 excavators detected, 75 (42.6%) were manufactured by Hyundai HCE Brasil, according to the NGO. Hyundai is South Korean and has a heavy equipment factory in Itatiaia (RJ).

The survey shows the presence of 58 Hyundai excavators at TI Kayapó and another 17 at TI Mundurucu. It is the record-setting brand among illegal gold exploration equipment in these territories.

The report sent questions to the company through the available channel and there were no responses.

Following the machinery ranking, appears the Chinese LiuGong, with 25 excavators in the Kayapó and Munduruku territories, and the North American Caterpillar, with 20, of which 4 were found in the Yanomami land.

LiuGong, in a note, said it does not sell its products directly to end customers. “The referenced machines can very well be used, second-hand or even objects of theft and theft.”

According to the company, not all excavators have a tracking system. In the machinery that has the system, there must be customer approval and consent, according to LiuGong. “Machines used in illegal operations certainly have their tracking equipment disabled or removed by criminals.”

The Chinese manufacturer also stated that it has not sold backhoe loaders in Brazil for at least three years. “LiuGong will reinforce communication to all employees, distributors and representatives in the Amazon region so that, once they become aware of illegal acts, they immediately report to the authorities.”

Caterpillar did not respond to questions in the report.

Since January 20, the Yanomami territory has been under federal government intervention. The Lula government (PT) declared a state of emergency in public health in the area, due to the humanitarian, sanitary and health crisis faced by the indigenous people.

The invasion of more than 20,000 prospectors, accepted and encouraged by the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government, caused an explosion in cases of malaria and diseases associated with hunger, such as severe malnutrition, acute diarrhea, pneumonia and respiratory infections. The lack of assistance in indigenous health during the Bolsonaro administration aggravated the crisis.

In February, an operation by the PF (Federal Police), Armed Forces and Ibama (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) began to try to remove the invaders from the territory.

The other brands with more excavators detected in the Kayapó and Mundurucu indigenous lands, according to the survey, are the Chinese Sany (10), the North American Link-Belt (10) and the Swedish Volvo (9).

Sany in Brazil stated that it does not sell machines for illegal mining and that it repudiates the use of such equipment in illegal activities.

Link-Belt also said, in a note, that it does not sell products for illegal activities. “We feel responsible for all Link-Belt machines sold, whether they are working in any type of operation and anywhere in the world. We manufacture a product so that it is used in compliance with the law.”

According to the company, it is impossible to control the use of products, with the owner being responsible for the disposal of the excavator. Intermediation with end customers is up to distributors, according to Link-Belt.

The new series of excavators has a telemetry system, which did not exist in the previous series. This allows for a “reduced risk of misuse”, according to the company. The excavator can be located, as long as the machine operator does not disable the service.

Volvo did not respond to inquiries from the Sheet.

The Greenpeace report also points to the presence of a Hyundai excavator dealership, BMG Comércio de Máquinas, in cities in Pará close to the Kayapó and Mundurucu ILs.

“By looking at the map of dealerships, it is possible to see a pattern: BMG has established dealerships and facilities in the vicinity of the three indigenous lands analyzed in this study”, cites the report. “Apparently the company is proud to receive a clientele from prospectors who want to keep up to date with the latest in heavy machinery.”

BMG has representation in Itaituba (PA) and Jacareacanga (PA), cities close to the Munduruku land; in Ourilândia do Norte (PA) and Redenção (PA), municipalities that surround the Kayapó land; and in Boa Vista, the base for illegal mining logistics operators on Yanomami land.

“We do not sell excavators for illegal or legal mining,” BMG said in a statement. “We sell excavators to individuals and companies, whose activity is not up to us to legally assess.”

The company operates not only in Pará and Roraima, but also in São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina and, soon, in Goiás, according to the note. “The strategy for implanting branches is based on the number of existing machines in the states.”

In the region of the upper Tapajós River, there are hundreds of legal mines, cooperatives, agricultural activities and infrastructure that make use of excavators, according to BMG.

“We do not close our eyes to the reality that some of the equipment sold was used irregularly by their respective owners, which is why, when selling new equipment in Pará and Roraima, we deliver a booklet that accompanies the ‘nursery kit’ and addresses basic information for environmental recovery”, said the company.

In the three indigenous lands, illegal mining degrades an area of ​​more than 25,000 hectares. According to Greenpeace, gold mining continues to advance. In the first three months of 2023, the new degradation alerts reach 532 hectares in the three territories.

The NGO also points out the impact of illegal mining on 768 km of rivers in Kayapó land, 725 km in Mundurucu and 300 km in Yanomami, by December 2022.

“These rivers, in addition to suffering from silting, were contaminated by mercury and ended up constituting a threat to the physical and cultural survival of the affected peoples and to the health of a large part of the almost 30 million people who live in the Amazon”, cites the report.

_{The Planeta em Transe project is supported by the Open Society Foundations.}