O histórico da Engevix

A empresa de consultoria Engevix virou símbolo da farra dos estudos de impacto ambientais fajutos depois que veio à tona o escândalo da usina hidrelétrica de Barra Grande (690 MW), no rio Pelotas (SC/RS). Ao apresentar o EIA-RIMA, em 1998, a empresa omitiu a existência de 4 mil hectares de florestas nativas com aracuárias, que seriam inundadas com o enchimento do lago da hidrelétrica. O estudo foi aceito pelo Ibama assim mesmo, tendo no ano seguinte a licença prévia e em 2001 o aval para o início das obras. Só em 2003 as falhas começaram a ganhr as manchetes, mas aí não houve vontade política para impedir a morte de um dos ecossistemas mais ameaçados do país. As araucárias foram para debaixo d’água. Os estudos mascararam também a real dimensão dos impactos sociais do empreendimento. Em 2004, o governo federal, o Ministério Público e a Baesa (empreendedora de Barra Grande) firmaram um acordo em que a empresa se responsabilizava pela mitigação e compensação de alguns danos ambientais. E em 2005 a licença de operação da usina foi dada pelo Ibama. Na época, o Ministério do Meio Ambiente escreveu a O Eco afirmando que mandar demolir a usina antes de seu enchimento não seria viável nem justo com a Baesa. “O eventual cancelamento da Licença Prévia e conseqüente ordem de demolição da obra, uma barragem recém-construída de 180 metros de altura, certamente não se sustentaria judicialmente, apesar das inconsistências técnicas e administrativas constantes do processo de licenciamento, uma vez que o empreendedor não contribuiu diretamente com as mesmas e investiu recursos próprios em consonância com autorizações concedidas pelo Poder Executivo”, informou em nota. As “distrações” renderam uma multa de R$ 10 milhões à Engevix e seu descredenciamento do Cadastro Técnico Federal do Ibama. Mas a empresa imediatamente recorreu e, segundo entrevista a O Eco, ainda em 2005, nada a impediria de continuar no mercado antes do julgamento definitivo. Além de fazer o estudo de impacto ambiental de Baixo Iguaçu (PR), participou de projetos importantes como a ampliação da usina de Tucurui (PA), do complexo de três hidrelétricas de Rio das Antas (RS), a hidrelétrica de Campos Novos (SC) e as usinas de Pedra Branca e Riacho Seco, no rio São Francisco, além do projeto para a usina de La Vueltosa, na Venezuela. Em 2008, a mesma Engevix apresentou novo estudo para construção de outra hidrelétrica no rio Pelotas, a usina de Pai Querê. Alvo de ações judiciais, o relatório sobre a usina identificou 140 espécies de vegetação no local do empreendimento, enquanto estudos independentes apontaram mais de 250 espécies. Tal como Barra Grande, a usina demanda o corte de mais de 3 mil hectares de florestas nativas no sul do país. Por dois anos consecutivos, a Engevix venceu o prêmio de meio ambiente Fritz Muller, concedido pelo governo de Santa Catarina, por conta das técnicas que utiliza na recuperação de áreas degradas no entorno da Pequena Centra Hidrelétrica de Santa Laura, no rio Chapecózinho.

Por Andreia Fanzeres
25 de fevereiro de 2010

Brazilian Supreme Court is about to rule Indigenous peoples’ land Claim in Roraima

No centro da taba se estende um terreiro,  Onde ora se aduna o concílio guerreiro  Da tribo senhora, das tribos servis: Os velhos sentados praticam d’outrora, E os moços inquietos, que a festa enamora, Derramam-se em torno dum índio infeliz.  Quem é? — ninguém sabe: seu nome é ignoto, Sua tribo não diz: — de um povo remoto Descende por certo — dum povo gentil; Assim lá na Grécia ao escravo insulano Tornavam distinto do vil muçulmano As linhas corretas do nobre perfil. (Gonçalves Dias)   The author would be extremely frustrated if he were prevented to state his point of view on the recent issue of Indigenous Land (IT) Raposa Serra do Sol. Fortunately, the generosity of the editors of O Eco allows me to comment on any matters to my heart’s content. So, here I come! It is very clear that indigenous issues have always been controversial and not always guided by reason. Even the rationalists keep a certain fascination with the "primitive". The French were unbeatable in this modality. Rousseau came to support the myth of the "bon sauvage", which indicated a certain bias since although being "good", the Indian was still considered "wild". However, this did not prevent that fiery discussions on the existence of a "soul" among the Indians were a topic of academic and ecclesiastical debates, as texts of Francisco Vitória and Bartolomeu de Las Casas can prove. The Iberian world has always had great difficulty in dealing with the natives. The Portuguese and Spanish colonial laws always varied strongly in relation to the Indians, going from enslavement to mythification. We cannot fail to register the romanticism that surrounded the "primitive communism" of the Guarani reductions, as the issue of the Jesuit colonies has been treated by “left wing historians”.    The Englishmen, in a more pragmatic way, established treaties with the natives, also followed by the United States. Thus, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zeland entered into treaties with other nations (the aboriginous people) and then quickly broke the rules. Just to get an idea, it is worth taking a look at the following site: www.indianlaw.org. Anyone who reads a little about the so-called Trail of tears will quickly understand that the Indians have always been cheated. Sitting Bull - the great lakota Tatanka Iyotaka Chief – ended up in Buffalo Bill’s circus. Here in Brazil things were not different, but the documentation is scarcer and not too many films were made. Whoever may be interested in the subject can take a look at the Museum of the Indian in Rio de Janeiro, which under the competent direction of Jose Carlos Levinho has striven to maintain with dignity the indigenous memories. Here between us, from the Acropolis to the necropolis, the Indians have been treated as orphans (Consolidation of civil laws) and incapacitated (Civil Code and Indian Act). Already in 1988 the "Citizen Constitution" devoted an entire chapter to the Indians and widely disposed on indigenous lands. A matter that was in fact already present in the 1969 Constitution (oops!!!) which in its general and transitional provisions stipulated: "Art 198. The lands inhabited by Indians are inalienable in terms determined by   federal law, giving them permanent possession and having recognized their right of exclusive use of all the natural wealth and existing facilities therein. Paragraph 1 - Shall be declared void and extinct of legal effects of any kind related to the domination, possession or occupation of land inhabited by Indians. § 2 - The invalidity and determination stated in the previous paragraph do not give the occupiers the right to any claims or indemnity requests from the Union and the National Indian Foundation.  If neither the "whites” participated in drafting the "constitution"of 1969, what to say about the "red-skins"? In 1971 the statute of the Indian was drawn with the intent to protect the "forest inhabitants". This law still remains in force, although it has several points overdrawn by the new constitutional order of 1988. The fact is that the statute provides the picture of the federal Indian Territory which was never implemented. There is a new proposal in the National Congress about a Constitutional Amendment which revives the debates on the subject.   Remembering the Statute of the Indian: "Art 30. Indigenous Federal Territory is the administrative unit subjected to the Union and introduced in a region in which at least one third of the population is made up of Indians.”   Roraima, with all due respect to the “white” inhabitants who live there, is an unviable state.  It only exists in function of the transfer of Union funds. Moreover, the importance of the indigenous people in that State is such that not by chance one of its most distinguished representatives at the National Congress was President of FUNAI and he certainly used this as an important tool to climb to the high position he holds today. The demarcation of indigenous lands in the legal point of view is merely declaratory and not constitutive. In lay language, it contemplates a mere recognition of the existence of the Indigenous Territory (IT). There is an administrative procedure that is governed by decree 1775/96. It ensures the right of ample defense1 and contesting. There is an anthropological report prepared by FUNAI which is the defining element of the dimensions of IT. Certainly, there is much exaggeration and a tendency to "increase" the ITs. This, however, is not enough to distort the constitutional right that federal public land should be given to the Indians' usufruct. The jurisprudence of the Federal Supreme Court has been to recognize the administrative demarcation and, specifically in the case of the Raposa Serra do Sol IT, it would represent a shift of 180º in its historical trend. Even if there are distortions in the demarcation of the Raposa Serra do Sol IT, a judicial review would only make sense if the Agency - FUNAI – clearly had exceeded the limits of legality. And here it must be said that the Constitution has made it very clear about what is necessary for a region to be recognized as IT. This question, however, has not been ventilated by the press. It limits itself to comment only on the size of the area. From the legal point of view, this is irrelevant.   It is expected that the Indians may have their rights recognized - remembering that no indigenous people attended the Constituent that drafted the Constitution of 1988 and that we may recognize the dignity of people like us. This is a great way to become a little more human.

Por Paulo Bessa
2 de setembro de 2008

Franco atirador

Antes de partir para mais uma caçada, desta vez na Namíbia (África), o engenheiro agrônomo e zoólogo João Carlos Carvalho recebeu O Eco em sua sala...

Por Aldem Bourscheit
14 de julho de 2008

Biofuels under attack

Em português: Biocombustíveis sob ataque The worldwide reaction against rapid expansion of biofuels has continued, with a proposal by the United...

Por Tim Hirsch
8 de julho de 2008

Entrevista com Iukio Ogawa

Como é o trabalho da Eletronuclear? Iukio Ogawa: Bom, a Eletronuclear tem várias áreas de atuação. A gente começa desde as aplicações médicas,...

Por Felipe Lobo
28 de março de 2008