The impact of natural cavities on mining feasibility in Brazil: dilemma between the sustainability of mining operations and the environment

Due to the legislation on natural underground cavities in Brazil, mineral reserves have been blocked, causing a great dilemma between the sustainability of the mineral activity and the preservation of cavities. This study presented an analysis of the evolution of the federal cave legislation, pointing out the main gains and contribution to the theme, in which the importance in the Brazilian scenario of the publication in 2017 of Normative Instruction N° 01, which updated the procedures for the definition of these “other forms of compensation” to the irreversible negative impact on cavities with a high degree of relevance. In this study, speleological compensation agreements signed between 2010 and 2018 between the National Center for Biodiversity Research and Conservation and mining companies were analyzed, showing the evident evolution of negotiations on the subject over the years. In the case study, the high cost of speleological compensation is analyzed, with an amount of approximately R$1 million per cavity. Due to the relevance, the continuity of the evolution of the cave legislation in Brazil is of paramount importance, as well as the use of new technologies, so that the consensus between the mining industry and the preservation of cavities is possible.