The road connects several gold mines, Greenpeace said in a statement Monday. “We have seen in Yanomami area that illegal gold mining has now reached another level,” said Danicley de Aguiar of Greenpeace Brazil.
Due to the difficult access to the deep Brazilian Amazon, illegal mining in indigenous areas has so far largely depended on air routes and is associated with high costs. The construction of the road and the use of excavators increase mining activities and rainforest destruction many times over, de Aguiar said. In addition, the road leads less than 15 kilometers past indigenous peoples who voluntarily live in isolation and have not yet had contact with the whites.
The territory of the Yanomami is one of the largest protected areas for indigenous communities in Brazil, with nearly 10 million hectares in the states of Roraima and Amazonas. About 27,000 Yanomami live there, who also live in neighboring Venezuela. The Yanomami became known worldwide for their fight against invaders on their territory and the Transamazônica road construction project. They have been repeatedly and increasingly exposed to the danger of intruders during the corona pandemic.
“It is unbelievable that so many kilometers of road can be built illegally in an indigenous area under the eyes of the state,” said Indigenous MP Sônia Guajajara, who took part in the viaduct. “This road poses a real threat to the indigenous people who live there.” It affects their culture and diet and makes it easier for diseases to spread.
(SDA)