Controle do mercúrio no Brasil: efeitos socioambientais, providências administrativas e práticas participativas no território do rio Juruá

Abstract

The protection of natural resources and advances towards sustainable development require the effective participation of society in improving public policies. Conflicts of interest related to the management of natural resources and protected areas are recurrent and aggravated by exclusionary and unilateral management. Complex threats such as those resulting from mineral exploration, using mercury, require adaptive and innovative management from the Public Authorities, capable of integrating the different interests of the parties involved. To understand the environmental risks associated with the indiscriminate use of mercury in economic activity, especially in gold extraction, it is extremely important to understand the dynamics of mercury in ecosystems, especially in the Legal Amazon, as it is a region that arouses great interest in the mining sector; and the mercury governance model in Brazilian territory. It is assumed that various forms of popular participation occur, especially among populations vulnerable to mercury contamination, such as those living in the Legal Amazon, who, in an articulated manner and through representatives, feel encouraged to express their opinions regarding gold mining and the use of mercury. In order to find answers about the effectiveness of popular participation in environmental control of mercury use, the research identified participatory mechanisms related to the management of natural resources and protected areas, explored through a case study on the Território Médio Juruá, in Amazonas. Based on local demonstrations against mining in the region, the research assessed the established capacity of the Public Authorities to internalize popular demands, in response to the desires expressed by the community, using consultation with state and federal institutes responsible for the governance of natural resources and specially protected territorial spaces. Regarding the powers of the Public Authorities to provide means, incentives and responses to popular demands, it is conjectured that, despite being institutionalized, participatory instruments lack improvement in the field of environmental democracy, established by adequate access to information, participation and environmental justice.