O acordo bilateral de 2008 entre Brasil e França contra a garimpagem ilegal: possibilidades e desafios

Abstract

Gold mining is a historic activity, closely related the processes of territorial expansion in Brazil. The case of the Guiano-amapaense border, the extraction process of this coveted metal brings with it some contradictions, because at the same time that it heats up the local economy, it causes socio-environmental damage due to the use of heavy metals, such as mercury, which contaminate the waters and the soil, also contributing to the formation of gullies and the cutting down of forests, in addition to the damage caused to the indigenous people. Thus, in 2008, the President of Brazil, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, and the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, signed the Bilateral Brazil-France Agreement for the inspection and repression of illegal gold mining on the border between Amapá and French Guiana . However, more than ten years have passed, clandestine mines in French Guiana continue to exist and, as a result, their effectiveness is questioned. Thus, this technical report is justified in the current political scenario of cross-border cooperation between Brazil and France as an instrument of great relevance that contains information, conclusions and recommendations on the effects of the 2008 Brazil-France Bilateral Agreement to combat the prospecting of illegal gold and all its logistics on the border between the two countries. Thus, the objective is describe the political and institutional context regarding the fight against gold mining on the border between Brazil (Amapá) and France (French Guiana) from the signing of the 2008 Bilateral Agreement. For this purpose, the following procedures are used methodological: a) bibliographic research, with the ideas of frontier, cross-border cooperation, mining and biotechnology as key points; and b) documentary research, taking into account elements related to mining and the 2008 Bilateral Agreement between Brazil and France against illegal mining. As a result, it is expected to point out possible medium and short-term solutions to the consequences arising from the illegal mining act on the Guiano-amapaense border, as it is believed that actions are necessary to reduce the impacts of this activity, safeguarding the generation of jobs and income for workers and their families.