Illegal land invasion and deforestation near Brasília National Park prompts police operation

In early July 2024, a large-scale illegal land grab began on public land at the edge of the Brasília National Park (PNB) in the Federal District. Makeshift shacks of wood and plastic tarps were erected along the DF‑097 (Estrada Parque Acampamento), and the area was cleared, burned and parceled into roughly 500 lots, some offered for as little as R$ 8,000. The operation, described by DF Legal and the Federal District police (PMDF), removed 36 precarious structures and dismantled about 10 km of fencing on 10 July, while a small fire was quickly extinguished.

Environmental groups and ICMBio warned that the encroachment threatens the park’s protected ecosystems, water‑catchments that supply the capital, and the Cerrado biodiversity. The invasion has been linked to former landfill workers demanding promised benefits and to criminal factions, according to local leaders. Authorities from the Public Ministry, DF Legal, the Military Police and the DF Legal task force continue to monitor the site.