An examination of the state of the art of environmental licensing aimed at the exploitation of ornamental rocks based on theses and dissertations in the CAPES Catalog

The present article presents a critical review of the research related to the question of environmental licensing. This article has the objective of analyzing the main aspects of Brazilian scientific production around environmental licensing focused on the exploration of ornamental rocks, a sector that is little studied, despite causing great socio-environmental impacts. The research is justified to the extent that the study of academic production in graduate programs can elucidate the level of depth of the quest for environmental licensing has in graduate programs. The study was developed in the realization of a bibliographical survey in the Catalog of Theses and Dissertations of CAPES no more than September 2021, using two search terms: "Environmental License" and "Rocha". This survey identified a total of 66 papers that encompass productions carried out at the academic, professional and doctorate level. From this list of academic works, tables and graphs were used for the analysis of the two contents found. With this, it was possible to identify the topics addressed in the identified studies, or that made it possible to conduct an analytical effort of a qualitative nature about the different dimensions that govern the process of environmental licensing and its main bottlenecks. An important factor is that it was verified that despite two studies focused on environmental licensing, they will be marked by an interdisciplinary effort, or the final result ends up favoring a fragmented treatment of the problem. Finally, based on two results, it is possible to affirm that the environmental licensing process continues to be permeated by conceptual and practical limitations, or that it ends up compromising its effectiveness in terms of socio-environmental protection in Brazil.