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Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (MAPEOs) are considered to be one of the main sources of mercury release into the environment. Considering the gold mining activities, this study evaluated the Hg concentration in 27 apiaries (Apis spp.) in the South of the Legal Amazon, Mato Grosso State, Brazil. A total of 243 samples distributed in 81 samples of bees, 81 beeswax, and 81 of honeys, collected between the months of July and November 2022, were analyzed. One bee sample showed Hg concentration above the limit of quantification (68.8 ng g -1 ), 27 samples were between the limit of detection and limit of quantification (15 samples of bees, 8 of wax and 4 of honey). In all study areas, trace levels of Hg concentration were detected, 12 near MAPEOs areas and 16 near crop areas. It recorded that the honeys analyzed in this study in Mato Grosso are not contaminated by Hg, not offering any risk to consumers of the product. It is noteworthy that the use of bioindicator tools such as bees, beeswax, and honey is effective in relation to Hg monitoring in apiaries. It can also infer that the implementation of beekeeping in areas that will go through experience the process of environmental recovery, after the mining exploitation, is feasible, in line with permanent biomonitoring of the region., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Mercury (Hg) is a non-essential trace metal, toxic to living beings and complex to quantify and mitigate in the environment. In this study, 25 plant species native to an Amazon-Cerrado transition area were tested for use in Hg remediation. Species identification, Hg quantification in plant biomass and soil at each sampling point, and evaluation of Hg compartmentalization in each plant were carried out. The results were subjected to statistical tests and evaluated using translocation coefficients (FT), bioconcentration (FBC), and bioaccumulation (FB). The results demonstrated that the distribution and accumulation of Hg differed between species and between the parts of the plant evaluated. Soil was the predominant source of Hg in the study area. The study highlighted seven species with Hg phytoremediation potential. Five translocator species were characterized, among these a preferentially bioaccumulating and bioconcentrating species, in addition to a bioconcentrating species and a preferentially bioconcentrating and bioaccumulating species of Hg. Potentially accumulating species stood out, Blechnum serrulatum Rich. (Blechnaceae), Mauritia flexuosa L.f. (Arecaceae), and Montrichardia arborescens (L.) Schott (Araceae), all widely distributed in tropical regions, characterized as rooted, terrestrial, or amphibious and associated with ruderal environments., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)