Alternatives to mining: past, present, and future in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Oliveira, Marília Luisa de; Oliveira, Maria Amália Silva Alves de; Vilani, Rodrigo Machado

doi:10.1590/1809-4422asoc00212vu28L1FT

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Enanppas 2023 • Ambient. soc. 28 • 2025 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4422asoc00212vu28L1FT linkcopy

Alternatives to mining: past, present, and future in Nova Lima, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

Alternativas a la minería: pasado, presente y futuro en Nova Lima, Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

This article discusses alternative options to mining in the municipality of Nova Lima, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, particularly in the district of São Sebastião das Águas Claras/Macacos. Its primary hypothesis is that community-based (eco)tourism may become a counter-hegemonic activity to mining expansion in the region. It contributes to theoretical reflections in the field of Latin American Political Ecology and Tourism and to social movements and public policies in related areas. The study conducted bibliographic and documentary research and participant analysis and found the municipality of Nova Lima to be highly dependent on mineral extraction, which has a political influence on the local decision-making process. The paper concludes with some considerations, both general and specific, about the possibilities and challenges of developing community-based ecotourism as an alternative to mining and of strengthening the local players in managing the territory.

Keywords:
Coloniality of power; Neoextractivism; Environmental conflicts; Nova Lima; Ecoturism

Category	São Sebastião das Águas Claras / Macacos	Serra do Curral	Honório Bicalho	Morro Velho Mine
Company	VALE S.A.	VALE S.A.; Gute Sicht; Fleurs Mineração; Tamisa Mineração	AngloGold Ashanti (inactive mines)	AngloGold Ashanti -gold mine (inactive since 2003)
Impacts	Forced removals; harm to health; vegetation suppression; air and noise pollution; water resource contamination; interruption of local tourism; persecution of community leaders; damage to housing; weakening of communities; mining dependency.	Harm to health; vegetation suppression; air and noise pollution; water resource contamination; human rights violations.	Land use and occupation; water resource pollution from mining activities upstream from the communities.	Water table contamination; damage to housing.
Risks	Presence of retention dams at risk of bursting.	Presence of retention dams at risk of bursting; illegal iron ore extraction; water shortage for the population; influence trafficking.	Presence of retention dams at risk of bursting.; privatization and financialization of natural assets.	Privatization and financialization of natural assets; influence trafficking.

Actors		São Sebastião das Águas Claras / Macacos	Serra do Curral	Honório Bicalho	Morro Velho Mine
Government bodies	MPMG	Partly favorable to the community	Favorable to the community	Neutral	Neutral
	Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor	Partly favorable to the community	Favorable to the community	Neutral	Neutral
	Minas Gerais House of Representati-ves	Partly favorable to the community	Partly favorable to the community	Neutral	Neutral
	Nova Lima Municipal Council	Partly favorable to community	Partly in favor of the community	Neutral	In favor of the mining company
	Judiciary Branch	Favorable to the community	Partly in favor of the community	Neutral	Neutral
	Municipal Executive Branch	Neutral	Favorable to mining	Favorable to mining / Favorable to the community	Favorable to mining
	State Executive Branch	Legitimator of mining	Favorable to mining / Legitimator of mining	Neutral	Favorable to mining
Community and Social Movements		Formation of the Macacos Commission by the community; strengthening of tourism-favoring actions; denunciation of human rights violations; consultation services of the universities for those affected; denunciation in the local, national and international media.	Report of human rights violations; denunciations on the local, national, and international media; denunciations in the State Parks and Environment Councils; requests for Public hearings; denunciations to the MPMG, MPF and the Minas Gerais legislative assembly.	Report in the social media, printed and digital newspapers of of the pollution of the Rio (river) das Velhas by the mining corporations; community training to receive tourists.	Part of the community together with Mab and the Pro-housing movement have questioned project’s EIA/Rima; Request to the Nova Lima Municipal Council and the Minas Gerais Legislative Assembly for the holding of public hearings to discuss the Nova Vila (New Town) project.

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[TFN1] Font: the authors, 2023.