Brazil pushes plans for mining on tribal lands to European diplomats

by Reuters
Friday, 10 January 2020 21:00 GMT

Mining and Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque told the diplomats that "significant leadership" from native communities had asked for the opportunity to mine on their lands, according to a public statement on the ministry's website.

The initiative is part of President Jair Bolsonaro's push to encourage farming, ranching and mining on tribal reservations, which he has criticized for slowing economic progress. European leaders have voiced concerns that his policies will increase deforestation and threaten indigenous cultures.

"There is a lot of misinformation regarding this issue, so it is important that the international community listen to what the government has to say," said Alexandre Vidigal, secretary for geology and mining at the ministry, in the statement.

The ministry said representatives of France, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands and the European Union took part in the meeting on Thursday.

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