Can legal mining activities affect conservation metrics in the eastern Brazilian Amazon?

Abstract

Sustainable Use Conservation Units (UCs) are territorial spaces aimed at reconciling the exploitation and conservation of natural resources in Brazil. The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of mining on the protection of UCs with and without legalized mining activity. The study area includes three UCs located in the Caraj ´as region, in the state of Par´ a: two with legalized mining activity (Caraj ´as National Forest – FLONACA and Tapirap´e-Aquiri National Forest – FLONATA), and one where mining occurs illegally (Itacai ´unas National Forest – FLONITA). To assess the protection of the UCs, the following variables were considered: land cover, infraction notices, and fire hotspots. Each variable was quantified, analyzed, and georeferenced. Geographic Information System (GIS) programs, business intelligence tools, and Microsoft Office software were used. The data sources used were mostly of governmental origin. The results showed that FLONITA has the highest percentage of anthropized (human-modified) area and the highest annual rate of natural area loss. Additionally, it was also the second highest in terms of the number of infraction notices and the first in infraction and fire hotspot density per hectare. Conversely, FLONATA had the lowest values for the analyzed variables, followed by FLONACA. It was concluded that FLONITA has the lowest levels of protection compared to FLONATA and FLONACA, which have legalized mining activity.