Governments, Mining and Land Grabbing

the New Cartography of Power and Illegalities in the Amazon under Bolsonarism

Abstract

The Legal Amazon has undergone a systematic process of territorial reconfiguration, marked by the consolidation of informal power networks linked to the expansion of illegal mining and land grabbing. This study analyses how federal government actions and omissions, between 2019 and 2022, contributed to the dismantling of environmental enforcement mechanisms and to the legitimisation of unlawful practices in the region. The article aims to examine how such measures affected the territorial rights of traditional peoples and communities, as well as to highlight the resistance strategies mobilised by these groups in response to predatory expansion. The research follows a qualitative approach, based on documentary analysis, literature review and institutional and legal sources. From this path, it identifies the emergence of a new cartography of illegality, sustained by political and institutional arrangements that weaken state control and intensify socio-environmental vulnerability. The study concludes that, although illegal practices were driven by regressive public policies, resistance actions led by social movements, local collectives and transnational alliances reveal the resilience of alternative forms of territorial governance. These findings contribute to critical reflection on the role of the State and to the strengthening of agendas committed to environmental justice and collective rights.