Regulating activities that harm the environment and enforcing compliance with environmental laws play a crucial role in preventing crimes against nature, such as illegal deforestation, unauthorized burning, and wildlife trafficking. Once an environmental violation has been identified, the responsible authority takes enforcement action to hold the offender accountable, which may include imposing fines and requiring remediation of the damage caused.

This requires initiating administrative proceedings. At the federal level, this responsibility lies with the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), the agency responsible for environmental oversight. Its role is to verify the environmental compliance of enterprises and activities in order to prevent and address conduct harmful to the environment.

Environmental administrative sanction proceedings allow violations to be investigated, responsibility to be established, and appropriate administrative sanctions to be imposed when necessary. These proceedings investigate violations committed by individuals, companies, or entities that breach legal rules governing the use, enjoyment, enhancement, protection, and restoration of the environment. The objective of POP IBAMA – Administrative Sanctions is to develop and implement an artificial intelligence (AI) automation solution to manage IBAMA’s sanction proceedings nationwide, improving the efficiency, efficacy, and effectiveness of administrative enforcement, with an emphasis on environmental fines.

The system will be an essential tool for improving workflows, increasing transparency, and reducing the time required to adjudicate cases. It will also improve document management, data analysis, and the generation of reports to support decision-making by IBAMA’s higher-level authorities.

Photo: Marizilda Cruppe/FUNBIO