Brazil fines accused BRL 725M for environmental damage in Pantanal
The Federal Attorney General's Office has filed a lawsuit seeking BRL 725 million in compensation for environmental damage to the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, located in the states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil’s Central-West region.
The public civil action was filed on Friday (Jan. 24) to seek compensation from three major environmental offenders accused of using chainsaws and setting forest fires to clear approximately 6,400 hectares of the biome in Corumbá, within the Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul.
The irregularities were investigated by the Federal Police's Operation Prometheus, launched in September last year to combat illegal fires, deforestation, and the exploitation of federal land in the Pantanal.
The lawsuit includes reports and photographs documenting the environmental damage inflicted on the biome since 2020. In addition to facing civil liability, the defendants are also expected to be held accountable for damages in criminal and administrative proceedings.
The Attorney General's Office has also requested that the court freeze the defendants' assets and mandate the development of a plan to restore the degraded areas.
Background
In the lawsuit, the Office highlights that the defendants established two cattle ranches on public land, each spanning approximately 3,000 hectares, and constructed roads, corrals, and buildings for human occupation. "Since 2021, the defendants have been economically exploiting the area through cattle ranching while preventing the biome's natural regeneration. In June 2024, an operation by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) also uncovered ongoing environmental violations," the Attorney General's Office stated.
