A dispute is unfolding in Brazil that will determine the fate of one of the country’s most ambitious gold mining projects. Canada’s Belo Sun Mining intends to build the Volta Grande mine in Pará state but has run into lawsuits from prosecutors and the indigenous affairs agency. The case has reached the Supreme Court’s chief justice, and Leonardo DiCaprio has joined the project’s opponents.
The company obtained an injunction allowing it to move forward with permitting. Prosecutors and the National Indian Foundation are seeking to have it overturned. Their argument: insufficient studies have been conducted and full consultations with communities haven’t taken place. They are asking for a pause until a final, non-appealable ruling is issued in the main case. It remains unclear when the court will deliver its verdict.
Brazil is known for lengthy permitting processes: obtaining approvals for a mining project there can take five to ten years, sometimes longer. Public scrutiny of the industry has intensified in recent years, and projects in sensitive areas face double pressure — legal and reputational. Volta Grande sits near indigenous settlements, making it especially vulnerable.
DiCaprio’s social media post drew international attention to the dispute. The actor has long supported environmental and indigenous causes in the Amazon, co-founded the organization Re:wild, and has maintained contact with Chief Raoni Metuktire for years. His statement came after Climate Week in New York, where activists spoke out against the project. Indigenous activist Juma Xipaya said at the time that the communities are rejecting the project, and that the ability to listen to the forest helps sustain the global climate.
Belo Sun said the post contains inaccurate information. According to company representatives, the project does not encroach on protected indigenous lands, and the permits were issued after more than ten years of technical, environmental, and social studies. The company states that the Juruna and Arara communities officially confirmed that consultations took place, approved the studies, and supported the permits. As benefits, the project promises the region jobs, training, contributions to municipal budgets, and investment in infrastructure and social programs.
The dispute over Volta Grande is a test of how Brazil will balance attracting mining investment with protecting the environment and indigenous rights. Until the court rules, the project remains in limbo, and the company continues to lose time.
Source: MINING.COM
Image: Leonardo DiCaprio
