Environmental licensing of large-scale enterprises: what are the limits for evaluating direct and indirect impacts on health? A case study in the Wajãpi Indigenous Land, Amapá

Abstract In Brazil, it is mandatory to conduct environmental impact studies prior to deploying large-scale ventures. However, the normative criteria for demarcating areas of influence are considered imprecise and insufficient. The present article aims to demonstrate how serial environmental impacts caused by the implementation of hydroelectric power plants and industrial mining in the state of Amapá triggered outbreaks of malaria and American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in the Wajãpi Indigenous Land and other settlements in the region. Spatial analysis of deforestation, climate variation curves, and the chronology of events from 2003 to 2015 were used to verify the correlation of indirect health effects in communities wich were not included during the licensing stages for deploying these projects. The results showed that outbreaks of malaria and ACL were correlated with increased rates of deforestation caused by the expansion of rural settlements, but mainly by the establishment of two hydroelectric power plants, the growth in industrial iron mining, as well as the simultaneous increase of mining camps (garimpos) in the region. The results highlight the fragility of the environmental licensing process for demarcating indirectly influenced areas, particularly with regard to health issues.【摘要】在巴西，开展大型项目前必须进行环境影响研究。然而，当前用于划定项目影响范围的规范性标准被认为不够精准且存在缺陷。本文旨在阐明阿马帕州境内水力发电厂与工业采矿活动实施所引发的系列性环境影响，如何致使瓦雅皮原住民领地（Wajãpi Indigenous Land）及该区域其他定居点暴发疟疾与美洲皮肤利什曼病（American cutaneous leishmaniasis，ACL）。本研究借助2003年至2015年的森林砍伐空间分析、气候变化曲线及事件时序数据，对上述项目许可审批阶段未纳入考量的社区所遭受的间接健康影响的相关性开展验证。研究结果显示，疟疾与美洲皮肤利什曼病的暴发，与农村定居点扩张导致的森林砍伐率上升存在关联，但主要关联因素为两座水力发电厂的建成、工业铁矿开采规模的扩大，以及该区域采矿营地（garimpos）的同步增长。研究结果凸显了在划定间接影响范围时，环境许可审批流程存在的脆弱性，尤其在健康议题方面。