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Smoke Signal's report on mining is featured in more than 350 vehicles and generates debate and hearings in the House of Representatives and in the Senate

Public hearing in the House of Representatives debates the findings of the report “Pure Dynamite”

Credit: Reproduction

10 May 23

Smoke Signal’s report on mining is featured in more than 350 vehicles and generates debate and hearings in the House of Representatives and in the Senate

The report  Pure Dynamite: how Bolsonaro’s Government (2019-2022) Mineral Policy Set Up a Climate and Anti-Indigenous Bomb released on March 27 by the Mining Observatory and Smoke Signal, has been generating debate and resulted in public hearings in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The document, which analyzed the Brazilian mineral policy during the Bolsonaro government, pointed out the existence of illegal favoring to the mining industry, and called into into question the system of self-licensing and mineral exploration in indigenous lands.

The report was featured in more than 350 media outlets, including Agência Brasil, TV Brasil and Miriam Leitão’s column in O Globo, generating reactions from both environmentalists and the mining industry.

On Thursday, April 27, the House of Representatives held a public hearing on the report’s findings, stocking the debate on the Brazilian mineral policies. Participating in the hearing were Daniel Pollack, Superintendent of Revenue at the National Mining Agency (ANM), Maurício Ângelo, Founder and Director of the Mining Observatory, and Rebeca Lerer, founder and coordinator of Smoke Signal.

“There has been a shock indoctrination, with fake news and disinformation, in addition to deregulation (of legislation), equipping of social control institutions, demobilization of control bodies, and criminalization of social movements. We saw a mix of tactics to advance a predatory land use agenda, whether for mining or agriculture, which resulted in increased violence and deforestation,” said Lerer.

The hearing participants contributed with questions about the situation of miners, the proper destination of CFEM (Financial Compensation for Mineral Exploration) resources in the municipalities, and the impossibility of pointing an example of “sustainable mining”. You can watch the public hearing on Youtube.

On Wednesday, May 10, the Federal Senate hosted a debate on the “Pure Dynamite” report and examined the 4 years of climate and anti-indigenous activities carried out by the government of Jair Bolsonaro. The event was attended by several experts, including Maurício Angelo of the Mining Observatory, André Elias Marques, Ombudsman of the National Mining Agency, and Suely Araújo, former president of Ibama and senior public policy specialist at the Climate Observatory, as well as the remote participation of Rebeca Lerer, coordinator of Smoke Signal, and Juliana de Paula Batista. representing the Socio-environmental Institute (SISA).

The main focus of the debate was “mineral denialism” and self-licensing in the mining sector on indigenous lands. In addition, it was discussed that mining represents only about 1% of Brazilian GDP, consumes 11% of electricity, and employs only 200,000 people, many of them in high-risk, outsourced activities. Environmental licensing was another highlight, with pressure from mining companies and industry to include mining in the Licensing Law (PL 3729). The influence that mining companies have on the licensing process was seen as a problem, as they have encouraged dams in an imminent state of disruption throughout the country. The full debate is available on the Senate website.

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Supreme Courts suspends 'presumption of good faith' in gold market to curb illegal trafficking

Areas of illegal gold mining in the Yanomami Indigenous Land seen in an overflight along the Mucajaí river, February 2023.

Credit: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

3 May 23

Supreme Courts suspends ‘presumption of good faith’ in gold market to curb illegal trafficking

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) unanimously suspended the legal provision that established the “presumption of good faith” in the gold market. This instrument allowed gold to be traded in Brazil only based on the sellers’ information about the origin of the product. The court decided to follow the individual decision issued by justice Gilmar Mendes on April 4th.

The measure was considered by the Court as one of the main legal loopholes for laundering gold extracted from indigenous lands and environmental reserves. It is expected that the decision will make illegal gold trafficking more difficult and protect the environment and indigenous people.

 

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Indigenous peoples conquer the new six territories and consolidate public policies during Free Land Camp

Marcha declarou emergência climática durante o Acampamento Terra Livre

Crédito: Pedro Ribeiro Nogueira/Escola de Ativismo

28 Apr 23

Indigenous peoples conquer the new six territories and consolidate public policies during Free Land Camp

The 19th Acampamento Terra Livre [Free Land Camp] (ATL) ended on April 26th with a series of major achievements for the indigenous peoples in Brazil. On the last day of the event, attended by more than 6,000 indigenous people from all over the country, President Lula together with the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, announced the approval of several important policies, including: the ratification of six new indigenous lands, totaling more than 1.5 million hectares; the creation of a new federal agency to protect indigenous lands and resources; and the allocation of $1 billion in funding for indigenous health and education.

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Lula reaffirms that Brazil will meet zero deforestation goal in the Amazon by 2030

Deforestation in the Amazon sky-rocketed during Bolsonaro administration

Credit: Nilmar Lage / Greenpeace

12 Apr 23

Lula reaffirms that Brazil will meet zero deforestation goal in the Amazon by 2030

During the ministerial meeting in which he presented the results of the first 100 days of government, President Lula said that Brazil will meet the goal of zero deforestation in the Amazon by 2030 and that the federal government will fight devastation in all Brazilian biomes. The commitment to zero deforestation in the Amazon was made by Lula during his presidential campaign last year and reaffirmed at his inauguration ceremony in January. However, the president warned that the task will not be easy, since the country’s environmental policy was dismantled during the four years of the previous government.

Since mid-January, the federal government has resumed operations to inspect and fight deforestation in the Amazon, resulting in a 219% increase in the number of fines for deforestation and other infractions in the Amazon region in the first quarter, compared to the average of the previous four years. The intensification of the fight against the devastation of the Amazon forest brought an 11% drop in deforestation in the region in the first quarter of this year, compared to 2022, but experts point out that more rigorous enforcement and fewer concessions to agribusiness are still needed to meet the goal of zero deforestation by 2030.

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Plan to achieve "zero deforestation" is presented by Lula administration

The new PPCDAm aims at curbing illegal gold mining

Credit: Amapá State Government

12 Apr 23

Plan to achieve “zero deforestation” is presented by Lula administration

The federal government has placed on public consultation the fifth phase of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon (PPCDAm), created in the first Lula administration (2002-2006), which aims to stimulate the sustainable development of the Amazon. For the first time, the plan proposes to fight illegal mining, which is causing a humanitarian crisis in the Yanomami Indigenous Land and threatening dozens of other indigenous territories. Another proposal is to strengthen credit for sustainable activities and veto it for irregular producers.

The Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon was shelved by the administration of Jair Bolsonaro, who centralized the responsibility for the forest in the Amazon Council headed by Hamilton Mourão, then Vice-President. The PPCDAm was responsible for reducing deforestation in the Amazon by 83% between 2004 and 2012. The current plan has the goal of zero illegal deforestation by 2030 and the new text can receive suggestions from people or organizations until April 26th.

 

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Supreeme Court justice suspends 'good faith' to certify origin of gold sold in Brazil

Federal Police operation fighting illegal gold mining

Credit: Federal Police/Handout

5 Apr 23

Supreeme Court justice suspends ‘good faith’ to certify origin of gold sold in Brazil

The justice of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Gilmar Mendes, suspended a section of Law 12,844/2013 that provides for the presumed legality of gold sold in Brazil, as well as the “good faith” of buyers of the metal. The decision was made after a request made by the Green Party (PV) in a direct action of unconstitutionality, arguing that the rule makes private monitoring unfeasible by disempowering the buyer and encouraging the illegal market. In addition to suspending the section of the law that deals with the matter, the justice gave the federal government 90 days to adopt a new regulatory framework for monitoring the gold trade.

The decision by Gilmar Mendes took into account the manifestation of various supervisory agencies of the gold trade in Brazil, such as the National Mining Agency (ANM) and the Central Bank (BC). The magistrate granted the injunction after the Attorney General of the Republic, Augusto Aras, expressed himself for the overturning of the rule that provided for the presumed legality of gold and the good faith of buyers. The minister justified the urgency of the injunction in view of the environmental and humanitarian damage and the increase in generalized criminality caused by illegal mining. The decision will be submitted to the referendum of the STF plenary in virtual plenary as soon as possible.

House of Representatives approves measures that go against the Atlantic Forest and its traditional populations

Representatives during a vote in the House

Credit: Marcos Oliveira/Agência Senado

30 Mar 23

House of Representatives approves measures that go against the Atlantic Forest and its traditional populations

The House of Representatives approved, on Thursday afternoon (30), two provisional measures (MPs), from the Bolsonaro government, with considerable socio-environmental setbacks. Both now go to the Senate for approval.  The [Provisional Measure] MP 1.150/2022 opens the way for more deforestation in the little that remains (12%) of the most threatened biome in the country: the Atlantic Rainforest. In this case, the proposal was made through an amendment unrelated to the main theme of the MP – the Forest Code (Law 12.651/2012). The idea of changing the Atlantic Forest Law (11.428/2006) came from União Brasil and party leader Elmar Nascimento (BA), who insisted on including it in the approved text. The final text also extends for another year the deadline for rural producers to join the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), foreseen in the Forest Code.

The other MP (1.151/2022) approved in the House plenary changes the rules of forest concessions, opening the possibility of exploitation of other environmental goods and services, besides timber, including in protected areas occupied by indigenous and traditional communities. Only PDT and the PSOL/Rede federation voted against. According to the final text, the concessions will be able to generate carbon credits and use the genetic heritage of plants and animals, for example. 

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FUNAI asks for the suspension if mining concessions that threaten indigenous lands in the Amazon

The number of concession requests that overlap with indigenous lands exploded during the Bolsonaro government.

Crédito: OPI

29 Mar 23

FUNAI asks for the suspension if mining concessions that threaten indigenous lands in the Amazon

The National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI) has requested the National Mining Agency (ANM) to suspend the 6th Round of Area Availability for mining in the Amazon. In the letter sent on March 20, Funai warned about the proximity of some concessions to indigenous lands and asked that the authorization for mining activity should not affect these territories.

The 6th Round, which offers 420 mining areas throughout Brazil, was launched in September 2022 by the Bolsonaro government and follows the schedule available on the agency’s website. The Observatory of Human Rights of Isolated and Newly-Contacted Indigenous Peoples (Opi) had warned about the possible impacts of the concessions, especially in the Yanomami Indigenous Lands in Roraima, Piripkura in Mato Grosso, and Uru Eu Wau Wau in Rondônia, where people live in voluntary isolation.

 

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Bruno and Dom: Crime mastermind is suspect of having ordered public servant murder in 2019

The Temporary Commission on Crime in the Northern Region (CTENORTE), formed by congressmen and representatives of federal agencies, meets with leaders of the Union of Indigenous Peoples of Vale do Javari (Univaja). On the wall is a photo of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira.

Credit: Roberto Stuckert Filho/Gab. Senador Humberto Costa

21 Mar 23

Bruno and Dom: Crime mastermind is suspect of having ordered public servant murder in 2019

The Federal Police is investigating the possible participation of Ruben Dario da Silva Villar, known as Colombia, in the death of Maxciel Pereira dos Santos, a FUNAI [Brazilian indigenous peoples agency] employee, in Tabatinga (AM), in September 2019. He is already suspected of having been the mastermind of the deaths of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenist Bruno Pereira, last year.

Investigations are trying to assess whether Colombia hired the gunmen to kill the FUNAI employee. The line of investigation is that they would have crossed the triple border with neighboring countries to commit the crime at the behest of Colombia. No suspects have yet been arrested for the crimes.

The investigation was reopened in September 2021, three months after Bruno and Dom’s deaths, and is under secrecy. The police team found several coincidences between the group accused of the double murder and the attack on Maxciel, who worked alongside Bruno in the fight against illegal fishing and mining in Vale do Javari in 2019. According to the. In the past, the police had suggested the archiving of the investigations, but the Federal Public Prosecutor was against it and the investigation was resumed after pressure from Maxciel’s relatives and the international repercussion of Bruno and Dom’s deaths.

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Attorney General allows IBAMA to collect BRL 29 billion in environmental fines

Ibama seizes a shipment of illegally extracted Ipê trees from the Cachoeira Seca Indigenous Land, Pará state

Credit: Vinicius Mendonça/Ibama

21 Mar 23

Attorney General allows IBAMA to collect BRL 29 billion in environmental fines

The Office of the Attorney General  (AGU) has allowed the collection of at least BRL 29.1 billion in environmental fines levied by the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) to continue. The opinions reject the statute of limitations for environmental fines levied by the agency and were approved by the Union’s Attorney General, Jorge Messias, on Monday (20/3).

The measure provides legal security for the continuity of the collection of fines, which had been annulled by orders drawn up by the former president of IBAMA, Eduardo Bim, during the Bolsonaro government.

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By unanimous decision, Supreme Court annuls Fernando de Noronha's assignment contract to Pernambuco state

Fernando de Noronha is a volcanic archipelago located about 350 kilometers off the northeast coast of Brazil. It is named after its largest island, a marine park and protected ecological sanctuary with a jagged coastline and various ecosystems.

Credit: Tiago Scharfy

17 Mar 23

By unanimous decision, Supreme Court annuls Fernando de Noronha’s assignment contract to Pernambuco state

The Supreme Court (STF) ruled on Thursday (21) to annul a federal transfer contract of Fernando de Noronha archipelago made with the state of Pernambuco. The assignment agreement was considered illegal by the STF in a unanimous vote.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the rapporteur of the case, stated that the Federal Constitution prohibits a state from transferring part of its territory to another. The contract signed between Pernambuco and the federal government was declared null and void. The decision paves the way for the federal government to reevaluate the economic exploitation model of the island and thus protect public heritage more effectively.

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Environment Minister defends that Petrobras "cannot continue being an oil company"

Marina Silva walks with the indigenous yanomami leader Davi Kopenawa

Credit: Felipe Werneck/Ministério Do Meio Ambiente

13 Mar 23

Environment Minister defends that Petrobras “cannot continue being an oil company”

Marina Silva, Brazil’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, spoke in an interview about controversial topics such as fossil fuel exploration in the Amazon and the renewal of the operating license for the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant on the Xingu River. Marina declared that, in her personal opinion, Petrobras cannot continue being an oil company, because it needs to make the transition to renewable energies.

She also referred to Belo Monte as a “trauma,” acknowledging the damage done to local populations and the environment, and expressed concern about the current state of the ministry, which has been significantly undersized and undermined during Jair Bolsonaro’s tenure.

 

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Senate bars Bolsonaristas from leading the Environmental Commission

The Environment Commission (CMA) elected Senator Leila Barros (PDT-DF) as president for the 2023-2024 biennium

Credit: Waldemir Barreto/Agência Senado

8 Mar 23

Senate bars Bolsonaristas from leading the Environmental Commission

The Federal Senate elected Senator Leila Barros (PSB-DF) to chair the Senate’s Environmental Commission (CMA) during the 2023-2024 biennium on Wednesday (8). Fabiano Contarato (PT-ES) was elected vice-chair of the committee.

The opposition bloc Vanguarda, composed by right wing parties such as PL, PP, Republicanos, and NOVO, had no representatives chosen to lead the commissions in a move by Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG).

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More than 19,000 illegal gold miners have been removed from the Yanomami indigenous territory.

Illegal gold miner searches for gold at Uraricouera River, inside Yanomami territory

Credit: Bruno Kelly/Amazônia Real

8 Mar 23

More than 19,000 illegal gold miners have been removed from the Yanomami indigenous territory.

The temporary commission of the Brazilian Federal Senate to monitor the humanitarian crisis in Yanomami Indigenous Land approved its work plan last Wednesday (8/3). According to the rapporteur of the commission, Senator Dr. Hiran (Progressistas-RR), more than 19,000 gold miners have left the area since the eviction operation began last February. The president of IBAMA, Brazil’s environmental agency, Rodrigo Agostinho, also supports this: “We have removed almost 80%, 90% of the gold miners.”

The Senate commission also requested information on the funds released by the Amazon Fund and invited indigenous and environmental organizations for public hearings. Meanwhile, federal forces continue anti-gold mining actions and have already applied penalties of over R$10 million.

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Marina Silva visits base attacked by gold miners in Yanomami Land and cites 'immense degradation' in the territory

Ibama helicopters in operation against miners in Yanomami Land

Credit: G1

4 Mar 23

Marina Silva visits base attacked by gold miners in Yanomami Land and cites ‘immense degradation’ in the territory

The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, visited Yanomami Land on Saturday (4) to see firsthand the actions implemented by IBAMA to curb illegal gold mining. She went to the inspection base in the Palimiú community, where armed gold miners fired at agents, and flew over regions invaded by the garimpeiros. She was astonished by what she saw in the territory: “The degradation is immeasurable,” she said.

Sources:

G1

Supreme Court overturns Roraima state law that prohibited the destruction of environmental criminals machinery

Burning machinery from illegal gold miners is a common practice of environmental agencies

Credit: IBAMA

23 Feb 23

Supreme Court overturns Roraima state law that prohibited the destruction of environmental criminals machinery

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) unanimously declared unconstitutional a law of the state of Roraima that prevented the destruction of private property seized in environmental operations in the state. The decision was made in a virtual session and confirmed the injunction granted by Justice Luis Roberto Barroso in Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality (ADIs) 7.200 and 7.204, proposed by the Rede Sustentabilidade party and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR).

The thesis established by the Justices is that the state law violates the exclusive competence of the Union to legislate on Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure, to issue general rules for environmental protection and as an affront to the right to an ecologically balanced environment.

 

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Yanomami Genocide: Federal Police conducts operation against illegal mining on indigenous land; suspects moved R$ 422 million in 5 years

Diamonds found at a suspect’s house

Credit: Federal Police

14 Feb 23

Yanomami Genocide: Federal Police conducts operation against illegal mining on indigenous land; suspects moved R$ 422 million in 5 years

On Tuesday (14), the Federal Police started an operation to fight illegal mining on the Yanomami Indigenous Land in Roraima. The suspects include businessmen, lawyers, and a municipal government employee from Boa Vista, capital of the state of Roraima, who allegedly moved about R$ 422 million in five years. The money was transported by land to Roraima, while the gold was taken by aircraft.

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G1

Deforestation in the Amazon drops 61% in January, but Cerrado saw only a 10% decline

Deforestation in the Cerrado causes concerns for environmentalists and tradicional populations

Credit: Marcos Vergueiro/Secom-MT

10 Feb 23

Deforestation in the Amazon drops 61% in January, but Cerrado saw only a 10% decline

Deforestation in the Legal Amazon region showed a reduction of 61% in January 2023, compared to the same period last year, according to the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). The total deforested area in the region was 167 km², compared to 430 km² in January 2022.

On the other hand, deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado more than doubled compared to the Amazon, reaching 441.85 km² in January. The deforested Cerrado area saw a 10% decline compared to the same period last year, when the figure was 491.64 km². Nevertheless, the deforested area is larger than the entire city of Curitiba – the capital of Paraná state -, which covers 434.892 km².

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Bolsonaro's Ministry of Environment gave up on defending 8 million hectares in the Amazon, Pantanal, and Cerrado

Number of conservation units created per government

Crédito: Júlia Coelho/The Intercept Brasil

8 Feb 23

Bolsonaro’s Ministry of Environment gave up on defending 8 million hectares in the Amazon, Pantanal, and Cerrado

During Ricardo Salles’ tenure as Minister of Environment in the Bolsonaro administration, the Ministry of the Environment decided to abandon the creation of protected areas in 167 federal lands, without making a fuzz or consulting technical staff. These areas are located in the Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal regions, covering eight Brazilian states across three regions of the country, including the states of Amazonas, Amapá, Pará, Roraima, Rondônia, Tocantins, Maranhão, and Mato Grosso.

Furthermore, on October 29, 2020, the ministry announced that it “has no interest in acquiring new areas for the creation of conservation units.” The decision was made without considering the concerns previously expressed by the ministry’s technical staff regarding these areas, according to an investigation by The Intercept Brasil.

However, there are at least 39 areas that should not have been discarded, according to ICMBio’s own technicians. These are large, well-preserved forest masses, totaling more than 8 million hectares – almost twice the size of the state of Rio de Janeiro – and are located in the states of Mato Grosso (16), Amazonas (10), Pará (9), Rondônia (2), and Roraima (2).

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Supreme Court orders the investigation of Bolsonaro administration officials for genocide

Justice Rosa Weber presiding over a Supreme Court session

Credit: Carlos Moura/SCO/STF

30 Jan 23

Supreme Court orders the investigation of Bolsonaro administration officials for genocide

Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ordered on Monday (30) the investigation of possible participation of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government officials in the practice of crimes of genocide, disobedience and breach of judicial secrecy related to the security of indigenous communities.

The decision was made after the minister received information about the situation faced by the Yanomami community, which is suffering from a humanitarian crisis in Roraima and Amazon states.

Sources:

UOL

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