O licenciamento ambiental na região transfronteiriça Brasil-Bolívia: Corumbá e Ladário (BR), Puerto Quijarro e Puerto Suárez (BO)​

Abstract

The operation of activities with high pollution potential must have effective and assertive environmental control measures to minimize environmental impacts. Considering the crossborder arrangement formed by the cities of Corumbá and Ladário, in Brazil, and Puerto Quijarro and Puerto Suárez, in Bolivia, possible environmental damage resulting from the operation of such activities could bring harm to the quality of life of the entire population, both in the State of origin and that of the neighboring State, since environmental resources are not limited by political borders. In this context, the environmental licensing process is a control instrument that compiles several environmental studies, including the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), an essential tool for analyzing the viability of the activity and mitigating environmental impacts. The objective of the study was to analyze the environmental licensing process regarding the operation of effective and/or potentially pollution activities, with a high degree of pollution potential, on the Brazil-Bolivia border. A survey of all environmental licensing legislation in both countries was carried out, in addition to the examination of operating licenses for such activities in the cross-border arrangement. As a result, divergences were verified between countries in terms of deadlines, licensing phases, classification of activities, license modalities and competence of each entity in the process. Although it is a cross-border region, there was no requirement for analysis of transboundary impacts by environmental agencies. It is understood that the inclusion of Transboundary EIA in the environmental licensing processes of activities with high polluting potential developed in the arrangement, could result in knowledge and control of possible transboundary environmental impacts.