Amazon nature reserve loses its protected status

Brazil has stripped a vast Amazon nature reserve of its protected status in a move that could expand mining in the region.

The 10million-acre reserve is home to indigenous people but also rich in gold and manganese.

Established in 1984 under a military dictatorship, the reserve’s protected status restricted mining activities to state companies.

Campaign groups such as the World Wildlife Fund have expressed concern about the environmental threat to the reserve from potential mining projects.