Part of a region considered the “water tank of Brazil,” where the Jequitinhonha, the Doce, and the São Francisco rivers meet, the municipality of Serro is part of the Pico do Itambé State Park, the Águas Vertentes Conservation Unit and the Serra do Espinhaço UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Its historical center sits about 5 kilometers from the potential mining site of Herculano Mineração. When the Brazilian mining company announced its plans to extract iron ore nearby, the community felt their ecological way of life was at risk.
Since then, people in Queimadas have denounced mining companies applying for licenses for violations and irregularities against the community; they fear that if candidate mining projects ever get the green light, a mining race would start in Serro, while permanently damaging the region’s ecosystems and local livelihoods. Alongside other quilombo communities, Queimadas created a resistance front against the advance of mining, while advocating for their land and its environmental conservation.
