Boipeba (BA): Federal agency contests mega-project – 01/24/2024 – Environment

The SPU (Union Heritage Secretariat), a federal body linked to the Ministry of Management, challenged the implementation of a tourist and real estate mega-project in public areas on the island of Boipeba, in Cairu (175 km from Salvador), in Bahia.

The project in Boipeba should occupy an area of ​​1,651 hectares, equivalent to 20% of the island of Boipeba. The chosen area is close to the Cova da Onça community, where around 700 residents of traditional communities live.

In a decision order dated December 19, 2023, the deputy secretary of the SPU, Carolina Gabas Stuchi, declared the regularity of the transfer of the right to occupy the property Fazenda Ponta dos Castelhanos to the company Mangaba Cultivo de Coco, responsible for the project.

However, in the same document, the SPU attested that the project to build a condominium on the site is incompatible with heritage legislation, as it provides for the “division or dismemberment of areas registered for occupation, without the right of preference to land ownership”.

In the federal agency’s assessment, there would be an incompatibility of the project to divide the area of ​​the property, as it is a sensitive territory, involved in a context of occupants of traditional lands and quilombola remnants.

Furthermore, irregularities were found in compliance with legislation relating to the occupation of properties owned by the Union. The SPU highlighted a list of requirements that had not been fully met by the company.

The content of the SPU’s decision note was revealed by the portal “O Eco” last week and confirmed by Sheet this Tuesday (23) at the Ministry of Management.

The project area is owned by the Union, but was transferred under occupation to the company in April 2022, still under the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) administration.

Federal legislation provides that Union land can be used under an occupation regime. In the assessment of the Federal Public Ministry, however, this regime would be incompatible with areas of environmental interest or occupied by traditional communities, such as Ponta dos Castelhanos.

When contacted, Mangaba Cultivo de Coco said in a statement that it had always acted in accordance with the laws and that “it would be no different given the decisions of the Union’s Heritage Secretariat”. The company also highlighted that an administrative process is underway.

“We will remain open to dialogue with legitimate community representatives and competent public bodies, with the aim of collaborating with sustainable development and environmental conservation in the region,” he stated.

The Salve Boipeba movement, which brings together residents and entities opposed to the project, celebrated the SPU’s position. “It is gratifying to see public institutions working with respect for the Constitution and the demands of civil society. It is a moment of celebration, but we remain vigilant”, he says.

The project in Ponta dos Castelhanos envisages the construction of a residential condominium with 67 lots, two guesthouses (one with 25 rooms and the other with 25 houses), road infrastructure, pier and landing strip.

The environmental agency also authorized the use of two lots for activities of social interest, including a cultural center, sports equipment and a waste treatment plant. The total area of ​​the project is equivalent to that of ten Ibirapuera parks, in São Paulo.

Among the partners of Mangaba Cultivo de Coco are Armínio Fraga, founding partner of Gávea Investimentos, former president of the Central Bank and former columnist for Sheetand José Roberto Marinho, president of the Roberto Marinho Foundation and vice-president of the board of directors of Grupo Globo.

The license for the project was granted by Inema, the Bahia government’s environmental agency, in March last year, under the Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT) administration. The document authorizes the removal of vegetation for the construction of the condominium.

The issuance of the license generated revolt among some of the island’s residents, especially in the Cova da Onça community, which is close to the farm where the company intends to build the condominium. The community’s main source of income is fishing, shellfish gathering and collecting mangabas.

In the technical note that supported the order, SPU technicians argued that, once the project was incompatible, a definitive measure was necessary “prohibiting any intervention related to projects that have as their scope the subdivision of the area”.

In April last year, the SPU notified the company Mangaba Cultivo de Coco and ordered the suspension of construction work on the project.

At the time, the superintendence of the federal agency in Bahia highlighted that “the only obstacle to implementing the project would be the lack of definition of the traditional territory”.

The project is still the target of an action by the MPF in Bahia that questions the impacts on the local community, as the region is in the process of being recognized as a reserve for traditional communities. The agency requests that the environmental license be revoked.

Prosecutors say that Inema was informed of the existence of areas where traditional people live. In a letter dated August 2022 to the state environmental agency, the SPU of Bahia recommended that, therefore, no projects be authorized.

At the time of the MPF’s action, the company Mangaba Cultivo de Coco said that the project was submitted to several public bodies and that the license granted was linked to compliance with 59 socio-environmental conditions.

He also stated that the Fazenda Ponta dos Castelhanos project foresees construction in less than 2% of the total area of ​​the property, and vegetation suppression in 0.17%, which would guarantee the preservation of the APA of the islands of Tinharé-Boipeba.