Preserve to extract, scam and dispossess

operational environmentalism and units of conservation in Carajás

Abstract

Units of conservation (UCs) have diverse alternative functions that exceed its alleged original goal of preserving the environment. In mining, particularly, there is a large diversity of functions articulated to the interests of mining companies. Through the case of the “Carajás Mosaic”, a set of UCs in Southeast Pará, this article discusses the diverse uses and functions for Vale S.A.’s operations, highlighting its intentionalities and institutional forms of implementation. Three primary functions are highlighted: territorial control through UCs physically protects extraction sites from land occupations and territorial conflicts, enabling mining to take place; second, UCs regularize illegal operations of land acquisition and previous rounds of land scam, usually involving the mining company; third, the creation of new UCs serves as an dispossessive instrument of settled groups and communities, defining new functions and legal parameters of land use. Drawing upon the idea of “operations of capital”, this article offers the concept of “operational environmentalism” to refer to the ways in which environmental regulation and UCs become foundational elements for mining, in multiple instances.