The Pan-Amazon Ecclesial Network (Repam-Brasil) has just launched a special series of radio programs and informative spots dedicated to the campaign “What is the price of gold? Benefit to few, loss to many!” The objective of Repam’s action, a service of the Catholic Church with the people of the Amazon, is to raise awareness about the impacts of illegal gold mining in the region. “There should be campaigns to boycott gold, including within the Church itself. Rules that impose tracking of the gold extraction and sale chain have not yet been implemented in Brazil; the very restriction of mercury trade and permanent investments in monitoring flights and the trade of heavy machinery for mining are effective measures to combat this illegality”, says Father Dário Bossi, member of the Special Commission for Integral Ecology and Mining of the Conference National Council of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB).
Did you read this? STF suspends presumption of good faith for gold buyers
Five special programs were produced that will be broadcast on Repam-Brasil’s Ecos da Amazônia podcast, on the main Catholic and community radio stations in the Amazon region, in addition to informative spots on the topic. The stations were chosen strategically, according to the coverage, audience and proximity to areas with the highest incidence of mining in Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units (CUs) of Integral Protection of the Legal Amazon.
read more
In the programs, the dialogues provide information about the impacts of gold mining, production and exports, inspection bodies, the importance of conservation areas; care for the population. Father Dário highlights that most of the illegal gold mining in the Amazon has become an opportunity for money laundering and new income generation for mafias and drug trafficking: illegal gold in the Amazon is synonymous with death, pollution, destruction and attack to peoples and their territories. “At the XI Pan-Amazonian Social Forum (Fospa), which will take place in Bolivia in June, these themes will be explored in greater depth, based on the experience and complaints of the people who resist, in defense of life”, declares the missionary, advisor to Repam -Brazil.
The campaign communication explains that radio was the vehicle chosen because it is a more accessible means of communication for communities in the Amazon. “Radio is the most listened to means of communication in the Amazon due to geographic distance and infrastructure. It reaches the most remote regions, such as traditional, riverside and indigenous communities, where other technologies encounter limitations. So, for these people and communities, radio is the only channel of information and it is through this channel that many are inspired and fight, organize and mobilize to fight for their rights”, highlights the Network’s communicator, Ana Caroline Lira.
The first program in the series “What is the price of gold” – lasting 15 minutes and presented by journalist Denise Salomão – is already being broadcast on radio stations in the Amazon; the second episode will be available from Monday, 5/6.
What is the price of gold?
The search for gold in the Amazon has grown in recent years, driven by increased demand and the political scenario favorable to mining. The explosion of illegal mining in the region has caused a series of negative environmental and social impacts. But the devastation has its price: according to the Federal Public Ministry, 1 kg of gold represents around R$1.7 million in environmental damage, generating an environmental cost ten times greater than the real price of gold.
According to WWF, more than 80% of the gold removed from the Amazon (WWF, 2018) is destined for Europe (39%) and North America (44%). About 66% of the gold “on earth” is in the jewelry, bars and coins sector. National or commercial banks also acquire a substantial part of it in the form of reserves (17%). 81% of gold leaves the triple Amazon border of Brazil, Colombia and Peru and 69% of this gold goes to three other countries, Canada, Switzerland and the USA.
In recent years, the illegal gold trade has grown, with organized crime factions employing sophisticated means to remove significant quantities of gold from the Amazon region. These groups often use false documents and bribes to avoid being noticed by authorities. According to a survey by Instituto Escolhas, the production of gold with signs of illegality in Brazil increased by 25% from 2020 to 2021. The study by Instituto Escolas also emphasizes that almost two thirds of the 52.8 tons of this gold with signs of illegality (61 %) came from the Legal Amazon states.
