"Brazil’s environmental agency identifies ‘signs of violations’ by mining company near Indigenous territory", 28 May 2026

...IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) has identified “signs of environmental violations” in a mining area near the territory of the Waimiri Atroari people, in Amazonas state.

Between April and May, Indigenous people said they found dead animals, including Amazon river dolphins and turtles, in rivers that run through the Indigenous territory. They suspect that waste from Mineração Taboca’s operations, Brazil’s largest producer of refined tin, may have polluted the waters in this part of the Amazon...

According to accounts from Indigenous people, large patches of mud with a “strong smell” and “muddy colour” reached, in early April, a stream that crosses the mining area and flows into the Alalaú — the main river in the territory of the kinja, as the Waimiri Atroari are known...

An official letter sent on 29 April by Funai (Brazil’s National Foundation of Indigenous Peoples) to the Federal Prosecutor’s Office also draws attention to the potential impact on the river dolphins...

In a statement, Taboca’s press office said that, to date, the company had not been formally notified of any new investigative steps related to the proceeding being handled by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. The mining company said that, “to the company’s knowledge, there is no causal or technical relationship between the reported events and its operations,” and reaffirmed its commitment to “full cooperation with the authorities to fully clarify the facts.” The full statement can be read at this link...

The investigations are part of a civil inquiry by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office into whether Mineração Taboca may be responsible for the contamination of rivers in the territory of the Waimiri Atroari people. The inquiry has been ongoing since 2021, after heavy rainfall caused mining tailings containment structures to overflow...

This week, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office requested that Ibama carry out an on-site inspection of Taboca’s activities, “including the collection of water, sediment, plant tissue and aquatic fauna samples at different locations”. Prosecutors also contacted the Federal Police and requested “the opening of a police investigation” into possible environmental crimes.

Contacted by Repórter Brasil, Mineração Taboca reaffirmed its “commitment to conducting its operations responsibly” and said it “continues to monitor the situation reported by the communities and recognises the importance of clarifying the facts based on technical and scientific evidence”. Read the company’s full response at this link...