MONITORING OF ILLEGAL MINING IN PROTECTED AREAS IN AMAZON

Abstract

The problematic of illegal exploration of mineral recourses in the Brazilian part of the Amazon is increasing tremendously. That exploration harms the Brazilian patrimony, the environment and the human population, principally those that have a closer relation with the nature. Many of these minerals are located inside of protected areas, such as Conservation Units (CU) and Indigenous Land (IL). However, the extraction of those minerals must be done under specific norms, that most of the times are not followed. So, the obligation of the government is prohibit those actions. For that, information that gives the spatial position and the characteristics of these extractions are very important for actions that aim the end of this reality. The mining monitoring has been favored by the diffusion of geotechnologies, that using statistic resources and spatial analysis tools, offered by Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing, has made possible the integration of information very useful for decision taking. The aim of this article is describe a process of illegal mining monitoring, inside of protected areas in the Amazon, by the use of geotechnologies. That will give us a useful tool for: the management of those areas, the restrain of illegal mining, the protection of protected areas and sustainable development. Key words: Conservation Unit. Indigenous Land. Mining. Geotechnologies. Environmental Monitoring. Environmental Protection.