This study analyzed legal aspects concerning the invasion of permanent preservation areas by sand mining. A sand mine in the middle Iguaçu river, more exactly in the region of the county of União da Vitória, state of Paraná, was chosen as study case. In this region there is a concentration of mining companies that had been under investigation on behalf of the Ministry for Environment. The invasion of APPs (permanent preservation areas) occurs in all "areais" (sand depositions) in the region, using all forms of exploitation, in other words, mining in the river bed, alluvial plains and hill slopes. In all technical studies, reports and plans of environmental recovery of the degraded areas presented before the Ministry for Environment, the problem is understated. The fact that the invasion of an APP is an environmental crime is not taken into consideration by any of them. The Proceedings of investigation of the Ministry for Environment of the state of Paraná were scrutinized by the authors, mainly in the technical aspects related to soil degradation and recovery, with the objective of discussing solutions to the problem.
environmental crime; sand depositions; permanent preservation areas; soil degradation