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Large Mining Projects and Socio-Environmental Impacts: Economic and Socio-Environmental Dynamics in Barcarena (Pará, Brazil)

Map of the world. The Para State of Brazil is highlighted in red. The red lines show exports from the Para State to worldwide countries. The thickness of the lines correspond to the amount of exports to the country.
Destination of mineral exports of the Pará state (bauxite, aluminum, iron ore, and copper) between 2010 and 2022. Source: IBRAM, 2023; SINMINERAL, 2023; Environmental Analysis and Cartographic Representation Laboratory (LARC/NUMA/UFPA). Elaboration: Authors, 2023.

SIMMONSLarge Mining Projects and Socio-Environmental Impacts: Economic and Socio-Environmental Dynamics in Barcarena (Pará, Brazil)

Raimundo da Costa Almeida, Christian Nunes da Silva, João Marcio Palheta da Silva, Aghane de Carvalho Antunes, Cynthia S. Simmons, Daniel Araújo Sombra Soares

Article first published online: 20 October 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/jssm.2023.165030

ABSTRACT: This paper analyzes the socio-environmental impacts caused by the “Large Project” of mining in Barcarena, a municipality in the Brazilian Amazon located in the Metropolitan Region of Belém, with a previous rural history, abruptly converted into a mineral processing area. Through documentary analysis of taxes and fees generated, and local development indices, we show how mining activity does not generate development for the inhabitants of Barcarena. For the municipality, only externalities remain. We used secondary, statistical and cartographic data analysis, although we carried out fieldwork to understand the situation on the ground.

Read the full publication in Journal of Service Science and Management.