Task force destroys ten illegal mining sites in the Amazon
Ten illegal mining sites destroyed, plus BRL 4,5 million in fines levied. Such was the outcome of a 17-day crackdown mounted by the Environmental Public Safety Task Force in the National Forest of Urupadi, in the municipality of Maués, in the south of Amazonas region, some 267 km from its capital Manaus.
Operation Aurum started on May 18. The results of the initiative, which ended on June 3, did not become published until this Saturday (Jun. 10).
The agents confiscated 13 hydraulic excavators, a bulldozer, six motorcycles, three quadricycles, 61 shacks, 16 power generators, 20 pump motors, seven dredges, as well as nine firearms and other equipment used in illegal mining, like boats and mercury, the police reported.
Rare species
The Urupadi National Forest was created in May 2016. On the same occasion, the federal government created four other conservation units, and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) stated the new conservation units between the Madeira and Tapajós river basins represented “a new frontier of socio-environmental development,” reinforcing conservationist actions in southern Amazonas, a region described by the institute as being of crucial environmental importance.
Also according to ICMBio, the region is home to specimens of endemic birds and primates. Among the local primates are three endemic species (Mico manicorensis, Callibella humilis, Callicebus bernhardi) and nine considered vulnerable to extinction. In addition, specialists estimate that 800 bird species live in the area—nearly half of all the birds registered in the country. Some of the birds are still little known by scientists, who also believe there could be fish species in the region not yet described by experts.
By creating and expanding conservation units in May 2016, the Brazilian government vowed that the move would boost “the growth of the local economy based on sustainable forest management,” adding that a portion of the area had great potential for ecotourism.
