史蒂文·格拉坦 巴西利亚，哥伦比亚 — 巴西最高法院已暂停亚马逊雨林一项大型金矿项目的环境许可，这给一家加拿大公司在一条河流沿岸开发露天矿的计划造成了挫折，该河流已受到该国最大水电大坝之一的影响。
STEVEN GRATTAN BOGOTA, Colombia — Brazil’s Supreme Court has suspended an environmental permit for a major gold mining project in the Amazon rainforest, dealing a setback to a Canadian company’s plans to develop an open-pit mine along a river already affected by one of the country’s largest hydroelectric dams.
最高法院首席大法官埃德松·法钦周一作出、周二公布的决定，暂停了贝洛阳光矿业公司在帕拉州拟建的大弯道项目的安装许可，此前土著社区多年来因担心其环境影响而持续反对。
The decision by Supreme Court Chief Justice Edson Fachin, issued Monday and made public Tuesday, suspends the installation license for Belo Sun Mining Corp.’s proposed Volta Grande project in Para state, following years of opposition from Indigenous communities concerned about its environmental impacts.
法钦认定，该公司未能证明完全遵守环境要求和土著社区保护措施，包括评估项目影响的研究以及土著社区享有的被咨询权。
Fachin found that the company had not demonstrated full compliance with environmental requirements and protections for Indigenous communities, including studies assessing the project’s impacts and their right to be consulted.
拟建矿山将位于亚马逊河主要支流辛古河沿岸，该地区已因贝洛蒙特水电大坝而发生巨大变化。大坝极大地改变了河流的自然流量，影响了鱼类种群和依赖该水道生存的社区。
The proposed mine would be developed along the Xingu River, a major tributary of the Amazon, in an area already transformed by the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam. The dam has dramatically altered the river’s natural flow, affecting fish populations and communities that depend on the waterway.
环保组织警告称，增加大规模金矿开采可能会加剧这些影响，给生态系统和土著生计带来进一步压力。
Environmental groups warn that adding a large-scale gold mine could compound those impacts, putting further pressure on ecosystems and Indigenous livelihoods.
中辛古土著妇女运动成员索尔·朱鲁纳告诉美联社，贝洛蒙特大坝下游的社区已因河流流量减少和鱼类种群下降而举步维艰。她担心拟在辛古河附近建设的采矿废渣坝可能进一步威胁他们的生计。
Sol Juruna, a member of the Middle Xingu Indigenous Women’s Movement, told The Associated Press that communities downstream of the Belo Monte dam are already struggling with reduced river flows and declining fish populations. She fears a proposed mining waste dam near the Xingu River could further threaten their livelihoods.
“我们知道，哪怕河流受到最轻微的污染，也会毁掉我们的一切，”她说。
“We know that even the slightest contamination of the river would destroy everything for us,” she said.
根据2015年的可行性研究，贝洛阳光计划在17年内开采352万盎司黄金，在24平方公里（9.2平方英里）的场地内挖掘超过6亿吨物料。
According to a 2015 feasibility study, Belo Sun planned to extract 3.52 million ounces of gold over 17 years, excavating more than 600 million tons of material across a 24-square-kilometer (9.2-square-mile) site.
一项2021年的独立评估对一项拟建大坝提出了担忧，该大坝旨在储存约3500万立方米（12亿立方英尺）的采矿废弃物和水，位于辛古河附近。研究人员警告称，如果大坝失效，可能会释放含有砷和汞等有毒物质的废弃物，可能会影响下游40多公里（25英里）以外的原住民社区。
A 2021 independent assessment raised concerns about a proposed dam designed to hold some 35 million cubic meters (1.2 billion cubic feet) of mining waste and water near the Xingu River. Researchers warned that a failure could release waste containing toxic substances, including arsenic and mercury, potentially affecting Indigenous communities more than 40 kilometers (25 miles) downstream.
这一裁决是围绕该项目长达数年的法律斗争中的又一转折，该项目由Belo Sun推广，被宣传为巴西潜在规模最大的金矿之一。
The ruling marks another turn in a yearslong legal battle over the project, which Belo Sun has promoted as one of Brazil’s largest potential gold mines.
该公司在2月通过一项下级法院裁决重新获得了安装许可，随后告诉投资者，该许可将一直有效至2029年。但巴西原住民事务机构FUNAI指出，关于矿山对原住民社区影响的研究存在缺口，包括对正式划定领地之外社区的影响，以及矿山与贝洛蒙特大坝的综合影响是否得到充分考虑。
The company regained its installation license through a lower court decision in February and subsequently told investors the permit would remain valid until 2029. But Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency, FUNAI, has identified gaps in studies assessing the mine’s impacts on Indigenous communities, including those outside formally demarcated territories, and whether the combined effects of the mine and Belo Monte dam were adequately considered.
“FUNAI一直主张，保护必须覆盖所有受影响的原住民社区，包括正式划定领地之外的社区，”亚马逊观察组织（Amazon Watch）的巴西法律顾问安娜·阿尔菲尼托（Ana Alfinito）表示，该组织是一个环境和原住民权利组织。
“FUNAI has maintained that protections must cover all affected Indigenous communities, including those outside formally demarcated territories,” said Ana Alfinito, Brazil legal adviser at Amazon Watch, an environmental and Indigenous rights organization.
朱鲁纳人和阿拉拉人原住民社区此前曾表示，他们未就该项目得到适当协商，Belo Sun对此提出异议。根据巴西法律和国际劳工组织第169号公约，原住民拥有协商权。
The Juruna and Arara Indigenous communities have previously said they were not properly consulted about the project, a claim Belo Sun disputes. Indigenous peoples have consultation rights under Brazilian law and International Labour Organization Convention 169.
美联社联系了Belo Sun寻求评论，但在发稿时尚未收到回复。
The AP contacted Belo Sun for comment but had not received a response by the time of publication.
反对该矿山的辛古河伏尔塔格兰德联盟（Alliance for the Volta Grande do Xingu）欢迎这一裁决。但该暂停仍属临时性，有待进一步法律程序，可能包括联邦法院正在考虑的一项协议。
The Alliance for the Volta Grande do Xingu, a coalition opposing the mine, welcomed the ruling. But the suspension remains provisional, pending further legal proceedings that could include an agreement under consideration by a federal court.
对于朱鲁纳人和其他反对该矿山的原住民女性来说，这一决定带来了宽慰，但并未结束她们的运动。
For Juruna and other Indigenous women opposing the mine, the decision brought relief but not an end to their campaign.
“这是对我们来说的好消息，尽管我们都知道战斗还没有结束，”她说。“我们将继续战斗，继续推动贝洛太阳离开辛古河大弯。我们希望他们滚蛋。”
“It was happy news for us, even though we all know the fight isn’t over,” she said. “We will keep fighting, keep pushing to get Belo Sun out of the Volta Grande do Xingu. We want them gone.”