COP30: Why talk about regularizing mining?

The Legislative Assembly of Pará brought an essential debate to the Green Zone at COP30: the regularization of mining activity in the Amazon. The panel highlighted that it is necessary to differentiate between illegal predatory mining and mining that seeks legalization and sustainable practices. Land regularization is the first step, as only then can environmental regularization be achieved. Talking about sustainable mining means talking about development combined with responsibility.

Mining is part of the history of the Amazon. Currently, 92% of the area mined in Brazil, legally or illegally, is in the region, and 85% of mining is focused on gold. However, the sector has serious impacts, such as deforestation, conflicts with traditional peoples, violence, mercury, slave labor, and tax evasion. These problems are aggravated by the high rate of illegality, which reinforces the importance of regularization.

Illegal mining grew exponentially between 2018 and 2022. In prohibited areas, such as Indigenous Lands and restricted Conservation Units, the increase was 190%. The federal government has intensified its actions, especially in the Yanomami Indigenous Land. Even so, the negative impacts do not come only from illegal mining: the problem also lies in outdated regulations that are incompatible with the current reality.

The activity is governed by the Mining Code, Law No. 7,805/1989, and ANM regulations. This set of regulations is considered anachronistic, as it treats mining as a craft activity, while many mines today operate on an industrial and commercial scale. State flexibility in licensing and a lack of transparency in environmental safeguards weaken control and increase damage, leading researchers to recommend improvements in federal and state regulations.

Studies presented at COP30 show that the impact of mining goes beyond illegality. It is necessary to improve the regulatory framework, refine the concept of the activity, and correct distortions in the legislation. It is also necessary to extend the requirement for prior research for mining, especially when operated by cooperatives. The conclusion is clear: without modern rules, there is no way to prevent or mitigate socio-environmental damage in the Amazon.

Pará is currently one of the most relevant states when it comes to mining in the Amazon. The state concentrates a large part of the areas with mining permits, has extensive forest cover, and a large contingent of mines that can be regularized. Therefore, it has a strategic role in improving standards and mitigating the socio-environmental impacts of the activity. At COP30, it became clear that any discussion of sustainable mining must necessarily involve Pará.

The discussion at COP30 made it clear that the challenge is not to deny the existence of mining, but to transform it. Regularization means bringing order, transparency, reducing impacts, and allowing the activity to take place within the law. With updated rules, effective enforcement, and socio-environmental respect, mining can cease to be a vector of damage and become part of a sustainable agenda. The future of the Amazon depends on balanced solutions, and regularization is an essential step in this direction.