Listing of Serra do Curral, in MG, will be analyzed – 11/21/2023 – Environment

The analysis of the listing of Serra do Curral, a landmark of Belo Horizonte that is the target of mining companies, will be resumed after a public hearing held this Tuesday (21) by the TJMG (Court of Justice of Minas Gerais).

The hearing took place as part of a legal process involving the City of Belo Horizonte and the company Tamisa (Taquaril Mineração S/A), which is trying to start iron ore exploration in the region. Several legal actions have already been opened against mining activities at the site.

According to TJMG, the next step now is the “analysis and conclusion of studies for the listing process by the technical staff of Iepha-MG” (State Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage of Minas Gerais).

The listing would be discussed at a meeting of Conep (State Council for Cultural Heritage), of Iepha, on July 27 last year. The president of the TJMG, José Arthur de Carvalho Pereira Filho, however, determined, five days before the Conep meeting, the suspension of the deliberation and forwarded an attempt at conciliation — of which the public hearing held this Tuesday is part.

In the same decision, the president of the court maintained the ban on ore extraction by the company, which had already been defined in a previous position.

Tamisa obtained a license from Copam (State Environmental Policy Council) to explore an area in the region on April 30 last year. The authorization is for the removal of 31 million tons of iron ore over 13 years.

Environmentalists, however, claim that the document was granted irregularly, as studies for the region’s listing have been underway since 2017.

The legislation, according to ecologists, provides that once the process begins, the area is already considered listed.

On June 20 of last year, Iepha-MG determined the provisional listing of Serra do Curral. The rules, however, apply “to any expansion or new development that causes an impact on the defined area”, according to the statement.

This Tuesday’s hearing was attended by representatives of the company, environmentalists, the city councils of Sabará (MG) and Nova Lima (MG), where parts of Serra do Curral are also located, and the Public Ministry.

Belo Horizonte City Hall does not participate in the conciliation process. Despite being away, the municipality’s attorney general, Hércules Guerra, was at the TJ and followed the meeting.

“It’s not the best way [a conciliação]. I would like to reaffirm Mayor Fuad’s will [Noman] which is for the integral preservation of Serra do Curral”, he said at the hearing.

There were complaints about the format of the meeting. Each participant was given five minutes to speak — whether they were environmentalists, representatives of city halls or the Public Ministry. Ecologists complained that there was no possibility of a reply or rejoinder.

The representative of the Manuelzão Environmental Project, Marcus Vinícius Polignano, stated that mining in Serra do Curral, in addition to destroying historical heritage, would also affect the water supply in Belo Horizonte, due to the large number of springs in the region.

“Serra do Curral is part of our water system, and this cannot be underestimated,” he stated.
Thames representative, Guilherme Machado, stated that listing does not protect Serra do Curral.

“What protects Serra do Curral are the people and those who have property in the region,” he said at the meeting.

Solange Cirilo Rodrigues, from the Pomar BH entity, protested against mining in the state during the hearing. At the end of his speech, he applied a product simulating mud to his face, alluding to the collapse of the Mariana and Brumadinho dams.