Confronting Corporate Development:
Advocacy in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Jessica Harper (2007)

INTRODUCTION

In 2003, citizens of the Serra do Brigadeiro region of Minas Gerais, Brazil learned of large-scale bauxite mining plans for their land, which have the potential to produce up to US $2 billion. This project, designed without the input of the community, conflicts with a culture of small farming, coffee exportation, and a growing environmental movement based on alternative agriculture and the preservation of the endangered Atlantic Forest.
A core group of advocates and farmers quickly demonstrated their resistance to these mining plans.

Aim:

Engage in action research based on the question:
How has anti-mining advocacy contributed to a more sustainable future for the land and cultural livelihoods of small farmers in Minas Gerais?

Method:

I collected data through process observation, interviews and material culture. The research concluded that the core advocacy group, or “mining commission,” has successfully demonstrated their resistance to bauxite mining using strategies of confrontation or conflict.

Result: Directly as a result of advocacy efforts, the mining plans for the Serra do Brigadeiro are on hold.

Conclusion:

Regardless of whether bauxite mining occurs in the Serra do Brigadeiro, the advocacy movement has already contributed to a more sustainable community in Minas Gerais by emphasizing participation, empowering farmers to speak up, and prioritizing social and environmental justice over economic development.
In a few short years, the mining commission has had a large impact on the course of events in the Serra do Brigadeiro. This research was designed as a participatory process so that it could be applicable to the mining situation at all stages. The results have been presented to the mining commission, and as their work continues, I recommend that the group take time to reflect upon its work thus far, identify specific strategies for the future, discuss how these strategies represent different priorities, and expand their partners as they begin to relate their work to the academic, government and private spheres as well. Suggestions for further research include:

1. Research into groups who have achieved a level of collaboration in their advocacy process without sacrificing their values or perspectives on development.
2. An evaluation of the viability of preventing mining from taking place in the
Serra do Brigadeiro.
3. A thorough cost-benefit analysis of the social and environmental impacts of bauxite mining in Itamarati.
4. Research conducted with CBA and Rio Pomba Mineração mining companies to understand their history and test their motivations for reaching a certain level of social and environmental responsibility
5. Research examples of empowerment strategies within advocacy efforts, especially in Minas Gerais.
6. A comparative study of advocacy strategies used by the group of people affected by hydroelectric dams and the mining commission.