Illegal gold mining on Yanomami lands in 2022. Valentina Ricardo / Greenpeace A decade ago, illicit gold miners in the Brazilian Amazon began invading the lands of the Yanomami people. New research finds a clear link between the rush of illegal mining and a surge of malaria among the Yanomami. The mining boom, which began in 2016, accelerated after former president Jair Bolsonaro deregulated gold mining in the Amazon, sparking a wave of incursions on Indigenous lands. By 2023, there were 20,000 illicit gold miners in Yanomami territory, or roughly two miners for every three Yanomami. At the height of the mining rush, nearly every Yanomami tested was found to have malaria. Researchers say that mining can spread malaria in three ways. First, invading miners may bring malaria with them. Second, as miners clear forest and dig for gold, they leave behind large pits that fill with water, creating the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes that spread malaria.…