Brazil's federal prosecutor initiates oversight of Acre indigenous land invasions and illegal gold mining

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) launched a one‑year administrative procedure to monitor federal agencies—Incra, Ibama, Funai and the Federal Police—in their actions against invasions and deforestation on the Poyanawa Indigenous Land in the Juruá Valley, Acre. The move follows a 2022 civil inquiry into illegal occupations by farmers, landless workers and settlers. An Incra inspection in May identified 36 irregular occupations along the border with the Tonico Sena Sustainable Development Project, and the agency has recommended signage to demarcate the indigenous territory. Funai is revising its schedule for related measures, while Incra awaits resources to complete georeferencing of adjacent sustainable‑development areas.

Separately, the MPF filed a public civil action with an injunction against the National Mining Agency (ANM), alleging that its small‑scale mining permits have become a façade for laundering gold extracted illegally from indigenous lands and protected Amazon areas. Prosecutor André Porreca highlighted the lack of clear technical criteria, the existence of “phantom” permits that claim large gold yields without verification, and the resulting mercury contamination of rivers and health impacts on local communities.