LARGE PROJECTS AND SOCIO-ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS OF MINING IN THE AMAZON: THE UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF RISKS FROM ILLEGAL MINING, IN CACHOEIRA DO PIRIÁ, PA

Abstract

Large-scale development projects in Amazon act as agents of territorial transformation. In the northeastern part of the Pará state, the municipality of Cachoeira do Piriá is an area where large mining projects and the construction of BR-316 have driven the establishment of illegal gold mining as the main economic activity, which encroaches on vulnerable social groups. Therefore, the research problem is to understand how the illegal exploitation of gold produces socio-environmental risks in the Cachoeira de Piriá territory. The theoretical framework is based on political ecology. A case study was conducted using bibliographic research, document analysis, geotechnologies, and field research in rural communities and the urban center of Cachoeira. The results revealed that the territory faces systematic socio-environmental risks concentrated primarily on vulnerable social groups, including peripheral communities, quilombolas (descendants of escaped slaves), fishermen, and family farmers. The main risks identified are related to security, water, soil degradation, health, and way of life. The unequal distribution of these risks is exacerbated by the neglect of public authorities and the weakness of legislation related to gold mining..