Amazon Mining Watch is using artificial intelligence to detect and map large-scale mining in the Amazon rainforest. Using machine learning Amazon Mining Watch is able to automatically identify evidence of open-pit mining from high-resolution satellite images and then plot the locations on an interactive map.
The creation of open-pit mines is a major contributor to deforestation in the Amazon. Open-pit mines require the clearance of vast areas of rainforest to access the mined minerals. The removal of topsoil and the use of heavy machinery damage the soil, making it difficult for vegetation to regrow and hindering the rainforest's ability to recover. The mines also often pollute waterways with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and sediment. This contamination harms aquatic life and poses health risks to communities that rely on these rivers for drinking water and fishing.
The Amazon Mining Watch interactive map allows you to zoom in on identified locations of open-pit mining in the Amazon. You can then choose to view these sites for yourself using either high-resolution satellite imagery or the latest available satellite imagery of the detected location.
The criminal gangs that control the mining areas can also prove very dangerous to local people. Indigenous communities are often caught in the struggle between different armed gangs attempting to gain control of the illegal mines. You can read more about this struggle in Amazonia's article Armed Groups Threaten Indigenous Lands in Southern Venezuela.
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