Mining drives extensive deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon

摘要: Mining poses significant and potentially underestimated risks to tropical forests worldwide. In Brazil’s Amazon, mining drives deforestation far beyond operational lease boundaries, yet the full extent of these impacts is unknown thus neglected in environmental licensing. Here we quantify mining-induced investigate aspects operations, which most likely contribute. We find significantly increased Amazon forest loss up 70 km causing 11,670 km2 between 2005 2015. This represents 9% all during this time 12 times more than occurred within leases alone. Pathways leading such include infrastructure establishment, urban expansion support a growing workforce, development mineral commodity supply chains. Mining-induced not unique Brazil; mitigate adverse conserve globally, assessments licensing must considered both on- off-lease sources deforestation.