Bags of cassiterite seized by the police during operations against illegal mining on indigenous territories is seen at the courtyard of the Federal Police headquarters in Boa Vista, Roraima state, Brazil, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli 

Bags of cassiterite seized by the police during operations against illegal mining on indigenous territories is seen at the courtyard of the Federal Police headquarters in Boa Vista, Roraima state, Brazil, February 10, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli 

An illegal cassiterite mine is pictured during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

A specialized inspector cuts a bag of cassiterite at an illegal mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

Specialized inspectors land at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

Machines are destroyed at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

Machines are destroyed at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

Machines are destroyed at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

A specialized agent patrols at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

A specialized agent patrols at an illegal casseterite mining during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama in Jamanxin National Park near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

Machines are destroyed at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

A specialized agent patrols at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

An illegal cassiterite mine is pictured during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

A specialized agent patrols at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes 

An illegal cassiterite mine is seen during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "POY GLOBAL" FOR FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "REUTERS POY" FOR ALL BEST OF 2018 PACKAGES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. 

A miner runs away from an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Machines are destroyed at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

An illegal cassiterite mine is seen during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

An illegal cassiterite mine is seen during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Machines are destroyed at an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

An illegal cassiterite mine is seen during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A specialised agent patrols an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

A specialised agent patrols an illegal cassiterite mine during an operation conducted by agents of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, or Ibama, in national parks near Novo Progresso, southeast of Para state, Brazil, November 4, 2018. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes SEARCH "IBAMA MORAES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. 

Informal mining in Brazil is seen by many as a scourge polluting the Amazon rainforest, poisoning indigenous tribes and robbing the nation of its wealth. For others it is a way of life. Brazilian garimpos, or wildcat mines, are operated by small crews of men, often caked in red-brown mud and working with rudimentary pans, shovels and sluice boxes that have been used for centuries. More sophisticated operations use water cannons and boats sucking mud from the bottoms of rivers. Regardless of the method, searching for gold and other minerals like cassiterite and niobium is dirty, dangerous and often illegal. "Looking for gold is like playing in a casino," said a 48-year-old miner. Miners asked not to be named, saying they feared the police as much of their work is illegal. Garimpos are in the spotlight as Brazil debates opening an area known as Renca in the northern Amazon forest to mining, which has met with stiff resistance from environmentalists. Mines and Energy Minister Fernando Coelho Filho argues that licensed mining will be an improvement over the estimated 1,000 people currently mining in the reserve illegally. Crepurizao lies hundreds of miles south of Renca, but gives a window into life in the garimpos caught up in the debate. Living in makeshift homes of wood and plastic, miners in the area ship some 60 kilograms of gold per month, according to traders. That much pure gold is worth millions of dollars on the global market, but high costs and layers of traders in the local market leave most miners living on the brink of poverty. REUTERS/Nacho Doce SEARCH "WILDCAT MINING" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. Matching text: BRAZIL-ENVIRONMENT/MINING 

A general view shows a cassiterite and tantalum ore in a semi-industrial mineral processing plant in Gatumba in western Rwanda, November 25, 2009. As Rwandans prepare to go to the polls on August 9, though, rights groups say political repression is on the rise. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and some western diplomats believe Rwandan President Paul Kagame's strong-handed leadership style and refusal to permit the birth of a critical opposition now threaten the very stability and growth he has nurtured. Picture taken November 25, 2009. To match Special Report RWANDA/ REUTERS/Hereward Holland/Files (RWANDA - Tags: BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT POLITICS ELECTIONS) 

A Congolese worker separates coltan and cassiterite, or tin ore, in a mud hut at Numbi in eastern Congo July 24, 2010. New efforts to clamp down on Congo's armed groups that finance their existence with minerals sourced from the country's conflict-wracked east -- much of which ends up in laptops, cell phones and jewellery around the world -- have been criticised for trying to achieve the impossible and risking the livelihoods of a million people in the area who depend on mining. Picture taken July 24, 2010. To match Feature CONGO-DEMOCRATIC/MINERALS/ REUTERS/Katrina Manson (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT ENVIRONMENT) 

A general view shows a cassiterite and tantalum ore in a semi-industrial mineral processing plant in Gatumba in western Rwanda, November 25, 2009. A joint venture between the Rwandan government and a Mauritius-based company is positioning the central African country to ramp up exploitation of coltan, a mineral that is crucial to the manufacture of mobile phones. Picture taken November 25, 2009. To match interview RWANDA-MINING/ REUTERS/Hereward Holland (RWANDA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT) 

A general view shows a cassiterite and tantalum ore in a semi-industrial mineral processing plant in Gatumba in western Rwanda, November 25, 2009. A joint venture between the Rwandan government and a Mauritius-based company is positioning the central African country to ramp up exploitation of coltan, a mineral that is crucial to the manufacture of mobile phones. Picture taken November 25, 2009. To match interview RWANDA-MINING/ REUTERS/Hereward Holland (RWANDA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT) 

A miner works at a cassiterite and tantalum ore in a semi-industrial mineral processing plant in Gatumba in western Rwanda, November 25, 2009. A joint venture between the Rwandan government and a Mauritius-based company is positioning the central African country to ramp up exploitation of coltan, a mineral that is crucial to the manufacture of mobile phones. Picture taken November 25, 2009. To match interview RWANDA-MINING/ REUTERS/Hereward Holland (RWANDA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT) 

A general view shows a cassiterite and tantalum ore in a semi-industrial mineral processing plant in Gatumba in western Rwanda, November 25, 2009. A joint venture between the Rwandan government and a Mauritius-based company is positioning the central African country to ramp up exploitation of coltan, a mineral that is crucial to the manufacture of mobile phones. Picture taken November 25, 2009. To match interview RWANDA-MINING/ REUTERS/Hereward Holland (RWANDA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT) 

A miner works at a cassiterite and tantalum ore in a semi-industrial mineral processing plant in Gatumba in western Rwanda, November 25, 2009. A joint venture between the Rwandan government and a Mauritius-based company is positioning the central African country to ramp up exploitation of coltan, a mineral that is crucial to the manufacture of mobile phones. Picture taken November 25, 2009. To match interview RWANDA-MINING/ REUTERS/Hereward Holland (RWANDA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT) 

A miner works at a cassiterite and tantalum ore in a semi-industrial mineral processing plant in Gatumba in western Rwanda, November 25, 2009. A joint venture between the Rwandan government and a Mauritius-based company is positioning the central African country to ramp up exploitation of coltan, a mineral that is crucial to the manufacture of mobile phones. Picture taken November 25, 2009. To match interview RWANDA-MINING/ REUTERS/Hereward Holland (RWANDA BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT) 

Congolese traders in the jungle town of Mubi bag and weigh 50 kilogram sacks of raw cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fuelled deadly power struggles in the Congolese bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers. About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Picture taken July 24, 2004. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM/ACM 

Congolese miners in the jungle town of Mubi break up and bag raw chunks of cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fuelled deadly power struggles in the Congolese bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers. About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Picture taken July 24, 2004. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM/ACM 

A labourer in the Congolese jungle loads a plane with 50 kilogram sacks of raw cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fuelled deadly power struggles in the Congolese bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers. About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Picture taken July 24, 2004. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM/ACM 

Congolese miners bag raw chunks of cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fuelled deadly power struggles in the bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Picture taken July 24, 2004. . REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM/ACM 

Congolese miners in the jungle town of Mubi bag 50 kilogram sacks of raw cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fuelled deadly power struggles in the Congolese bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Picture taken July 24, 2004. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM/ACM 

Under tight security, a Congolese miner in the jungle town of Mubi, July 24, 2004, bags raw chunks of cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fueled deadly power struggles in the Congolese bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers. About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Photo taken on July 24, 2004 REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM 

Congolese miners in the jungle town of Mubi, July 24, 2004, break up and bag raw chunks of cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fueled deadly power struggles in the Congolese bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers. About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Photo taken July 24, 2004. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM 

Under tight security, a Congolese miner in the jungle town of Mubi, July 24, 2004, bags raw chunks of cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. The sudden price increase has fueled deadly power struggles in the Congolese bush, where gold and diamonds are also mined by peasants in rags who dig by hand using hammers. About 10 flights transport some $50,000 worth of cassiterite daily or nearly $1 million monthly from the remote, mineral-rich forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Fighting continues in the vast central African state despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people, most from hunger and disease. Photo taken on July 24, 2004 REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM 

Storm clouds gather over the Congolese jungle town of Walikale, where armed groups have clashed recently for control over the area's vast mineral resources, including gold, diamonds and cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. Fighting continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people in the central African country, most from hunger and disease. Picture taken July 23, 2004. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM/ACM 

Bullet holes pepper a road sign in the Congolese jungle town of Walikale, where armed groups have clashed recently for control over the area's vast mineral resources, including gold, diamonds and cassiterite, the base element of tin, which is at a 15-year high on world markets due to a global shortage. Fighting continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo despite peace deals to end a five-year war that killed more than three million people in the central African country, most from hunger and disease. Picture taken July 23, 2004. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly FOR/TM/ACM