Brazil's Federal Prosecutor's Office steps up Amazon environmental inspections and enforcement

The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) and the National Mining Agency (ANM) have scheduled a June inspection of the Taboca mining operation in the Waimiri‑Atroari Indigenous Territory in Amazonas. The visit will examine water sources and drainage systems after community reports of altered water colour, taste and the death of fish, river dolphins and turtles. Laboratory reports indicated elevated levels of aluminium, lead and mercury in local streams, prompting the MPF to demand that the company improve its containment measures. The ANM will forward a technical report to the MPF within 15 days.

In the same month, the MPF highlighted a series of environmental actions in the state of Amapá. It has appealed to suspend the licence for oil drilling at the Amazon mouth, citing flawed environmental studies and the lack of prior consultation with indigenous and traditional communities. The office also filed a lawsuit to block mining authorisations in the Amapá National Forest and pursued legal action to halt illegal soybean expansion in the Quilombo do Ambé, seeking reparations and restoration for the affected quilombola community. These measures illustrate the MPF’s intensified role in protecting Brazil’s Amazon ecosystems and the rights of its traditional populations.