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In a Scenario That Challenges Environmental Legislation, the National Mining Agency (ANM) Authorized the Opening of 870 Gold Mines in 18 Conservation Units in Brazil, Where Mining Is Prohibited by Law.
The newspaper Folha de S.Paulo revealed on Sunday (21) that these authorizations were granted despite the legal protection of these areas, creating a conflict between economic activity and environmental preservation.
The majority of these concessions are in Pará, with 846 gold mines, representing 97% of the total. Other affected states include Rondônia (11), Piauí (7), Bahia (3), Amazonas (2), and Rio Grande do Sul (1).
According to Folha de S.Paulo, the mining operations in Pará are primarily concentrated in the APA do Tapajós, an area of environmental protection that covers two million hectares, of which 86% are in the municipality of Itaituba, known as the national gold mining capital.
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A Long-Standing Problem
The survey showed that 14 of these authorizations were granted during the current government of Lula (PT), while the record for concessions occurred in 1995, during the administration of Fernando Henrique Cardoso (PSDB), with 272 authorizations.
The ANM justified that the legislation “does not prevent the granting of Permissão de Lavra Garimpeira in conservation units, only conditions the start of work on prior authorization from the managing agency of the UC [Conservation Unit].”
Monitoring and Inspection
ICMBio, responsible for managing the conservation units, stated it is aware of the situation and is closely monitoring the problem. “The agency is working on the preparation of various technical documents to support such irregularities with the Federal Specialized Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Public Ministry,” said ICMBio in a statement.
Additionally, the institute highlighted the implementation of inspection actions in partnership with Ibama due to alerts of deforestation in the area.
The Resex Lago do Cuniã, in Rondônia, is the conservation unit with the highest percentage of area authorized for mining by the ANM. Of the 76,400 hectares of the reserve, 12.3% are designated for mining, directly affecting traditional populations that depend on extraction, subsistence agriculture, and the raising of small animals.
The Role of Municipal Licenses
According to the cited newspaper, Gold miners have tried to circumvent environmental legislation by obtaining municipal licenses, but the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) has already recommended that these licenses not be recognized by the ANM, ICMBio, and Ibama.
The ANM responded that it “is not responsible for supervising the issuance of environmental licenses issued by incompetent agencies,” but is reviewing its internal regulations to ensure that mining operations are only authorized after the approval of the managing agency of the conservation unit.
Characters and Controversies
José Antunes, known as Dr. José, is one of the main characters in this scenario. Linked to the Association of Gold Miners of Tapajós (Amot), Antunes has 161 authorizations for mining in the conservation unit, accumulating an area of 8,048 hectares for exploration.
According to Folha de S.Paulo, he is also involved in investigations by the Federal Police regarding schemes to “launder” illegal gold. Another highlighted name is Francisco do Nascimento Moura, with 52 authorizations.
Moura has been identified in investigations as a supplier of illegal gold extracted from the Itaituba region to DTVM Ourominas, a target of inspection operations between 2015 and 2018. Moura gave contradictory statements to the Federal Police, further complicating the situation.
Environmental and Social Impacts of Gold Mines
The impact of these gold mines on conservation units is devastating, experts claim. The APA dos Tapajós, for example, is the most deforested federal conservation unit in Brazil since 2022, with about 50% of the deforestation attributed to mining.
ICMBio and Ibama say they are preparing a cooperation agreement with the ANM for data sharing and access to systems, seeking to improve oversight and combat irregularities.
In a statement, Ourominas denied any irregularities and stated it would cooperate with the Justice in the investigations. The situation of gold mining in conservation units continues to generate controversies and raise questions about the effectiveness of environmental preservation policies in Brazil.
Do you think the authorization of gold mines in conservation areas is justifiable in any case? Share your opinion!
É área de preservação, não área de mineração que autorização e essa, e quem fiscaliza. E o trabalho que beneficia poucos e destroem muitos. O próprio ser humano se destruindo pela ganância.
Não concordo. APA é APA. Não deve ser devastada. A mineração é inimiga do meio ambiente.
Se nossos governantes fossem sérios, se não favorecessem os parceiros e buscassem lucro próprio, se houvesse controle e regras não teria problemas, mas, sabemos que não é assim.