The Quest for land at Piranema sand cluster

Abstract The Piranema Sand Cluster, located between the Seropédica and Itaguaí counties of Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, is responsible for 65% of the sand used in construction works of the region and is the home of approximately 47 small mining companies. The construction works in progress in this area make this mining district a critical success factor for these new or expanding ventures, for prices of construction sand increases tremendously with delivery distance. These undergoing works attract many people to the region, increasing the need for urban infrastructure to house them. This search for land comes from mining sites and causes difficulties in obtaining local permits, which are the first step in environmental compliance of the mining activities. The discussion of this paradox: “cheap aggregates for urban infrastructure and the displacement of mining to make room for the installation of these infrastructures”, must be based on a Future Use Project for this area, seeking consensus among communities, mining, government and other stakeholders. This enables the preparation of a Decommissioning Plan for the mines that reconciles the mineral reserves yet to be exploited to the needs of other land uses that development is promoting. By doing this, a regional planning proposition is established in order to recover the degraded area and ecosystems, ensure the well-being of the population, improve employment generation and income of the affected people, and keep the prices of construction sand at low levels, while showing great respect to the environment.