Brazil suspends gold prospection permits in Amazon reserves

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The administration of President Jair Bolsonaro, which advocates mining even in indigenous reserves in the Amazon, decided to suspend the licenses granted after rejection of the regulatory bodies and harsh criticism from environmentalists.

The cancellation of permits was issued in a decree on Monday in the Federal Gazette signed by the Chief Minister of the Institutional Security Cabinet of the Presidency Augusto Heleno, who has become one of the main collaborators of the far-right leader.

The authorizations were granted a few weeks ago by Heleno himself, despite the fact that his cabinet is responsible for security issues of the Presidency and has no relation to the Mines and Energy area, sparking intense controversy because they allow the search for minerals in one of the most preserved areas of the Amazon.

Heleno signed the two decrees, both the one that authorized mining exploration and the one that suspended the permits, in his capacity as executive secretary of the National Defense Council, a body that advises the Presidency on matters of sovereignty and defense.

The 7 authorizations granted mining companies rights to prospect for gold in numerous areas of interest in the region known as Cabeça de Cachorro, in the jurisdiction of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, an Amazonian municipality in the state of Amazonas that has some of the best preserved jungle areas in the world.

The areas of interest for miners are also close to the borders of Brazil with Colombia and Venezuela and to important indigenous and environmental reserves.

São Gabriel da Cachoeira is considered one of the most important municipalities for indigenous people in the country for its reserves of 23 different ethnic groups.

In the decree published Monday, Heleno acknowledged that the authorizations he granted were challenged not only by the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) and the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) – both state – but also by the National Mining Agency (ANM), regulator of the sector.

The Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation to analyze the origin and legality of the authorization granted by Heleno in light of the environmental risks generated by the measures.

According to press versions, the prosecutors who requested the opening of the investigation suspect that the authorizations seek to prepare the ground to allow mining in indigenous reserves in the Amazon, a Bolsonaro campaign pledge.

Brazil was one of the countries most challenged at the COP26 climate change conference due to the lack of control in the destruction of the Amazon, something that has also led some European countries to threaten to veto the ratification of the free trade agreement between the Union Europe and MERCOSUR.

Deforestation in the Amazon reached record levels in the Bolsonaro government and reached 13,235 km2 between August 2020 and July 2021, the largest degraded area for a 12-month period in the last 15 years.

According to a study released last week by the human rights organization Instituto Socio Ambiental (ISA), deforestation in the protected areas of the Brazilian Amazon during the 3 years of Bolsonaro’s government grew by 79%, compared to the devastation registered between 2016 and 2018.