"In Brazil’s ‘water tank’, communities resist mining to preserve their water and livelihoods", 30 November 2024

...Queimadas, a quilombo community located in an environmental buffer zone where the Cerrado and the Atlantic forest meet...

...[W]hen Brazilian mining company Herculano Mineração announced its plans to extract iron ore nearby, the community felt their ecological way of life was at risk. “They said they would go ahead whether we liked it or not,” says Valderes Quintino, 25, the community leader, about the company that first approached him in 2018.

Since then, people in Queimadas have denounced mining companies applying for licenses for violations and irregularities against the community; they fear that if candidate mining projects ever get the green light, a mining race would start in Serro, while permanently damaging the region’s ecosystems and local livelihoods. Alongside other quilombo communities, Queimadas created a resistance front against the advance of mining, while advocating for their land and its environmental conservation...

Iron ore exploitation may cause “immeasurable loss” for Queimadas, Juliana Deprá, activist for Movement for Popular Sovereignty in Mining (MAM by its Portuguese acronym) who works closely with the traditional communities of Serro, told Mongabay. Impacts include a rise in violence, worsening air quality, a population boom, real estate speculation, and rural exodus, Deprá says...

A 2023 report released by the movement against mining in Serro denounces irregularities in the way Herculano has cleared hurdles for its iron ore project...

In response to Mongabay’s request for comment, Herculano Mineração stated: “Herculano Mineração informs that it does not comment on the status of administrative licensing processes underway, which is the responsibility of the competent organs. However, the company confirms that the licensing process for the Serro Project is underway. Herculano Mineração believes in the legislation, in the organs involved, and in the quality of the studies it has submitted. Herculano Mineração has complied with all the legislation requirements to get the licenses for its project from the competent bodies”...

At the same time, Herculano states that it “reiterates its deep respect for traditional communities and has been discussing the Quilombo Communities Component Study for the Queimadas community with INCRA (Land Reform Institute) and SEDESE, the entities responsible for the issue.” The company also stated that it “has no reason not to remain confident that the project will be approved”...