Curvelo

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Location of Curvelo within Minas Gerais

Curvelo is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is located in the geodesic center of Minas Gerais, 160 km. north of the capital, Belo Horizonte, and connected to the capital by highways MG 135 and BR 040. Its estimated population is 70,000 inhabitants and the total area of the municipality is 3,344 kmª. The city lies at an altitude of 633 meters.

Curvelo titles itself the Gateway to the Sertão (Portal do Sertão), due to its geographical location--the beginning of the cerrado vegetation--and its dry climate.

It is located on a large raised plain in the center of the state, where there are no mountain chains. It is between the basins of the São Francisco River, the Rio das Velhas, Paraopeba, Cipó, and Bicudo.

Eucalyptus trees and charcoal production

Curvelo's economy is mainly dependent on goods and services, but agriculture is still important. In recent years the planting of eucalyptus trees on a great scale to provide charcoal for the industries of Sete Lagoas and Contagem has brought revenue to the municipality but has also contributed to great ecological damage to the fauna and flora. One company alone, V&M Florestal Ltda., has 338.67 km² planted in the municipality. More land is also used for charcoal production in João Pinheiro, Bocaiúva, Brasilândia, Paraopeba and other smaller communities.

Traditionally small round ovens were used on each property to make charcoal, but these are grdually being replaced by modern more centralized ovens. When the charcoal is ready it is transported by truck to the industrial area of greater Belo Horizonte.

In addition to the ecological damage of destroying the land to plant trees of only one species, the physical risks for the charcoal workers are: excessive fatigue due to lifting and transporting heavy materials, which can bring on physical stress and cause damage to various muscles and skeletal structures (one study showed that a typical charcoal worker will carry 7,000 kilos of Eucalyptus wood to fill a 5 cubic meter oven in one hour!); long hours of work, including shifts during nights and the weekends, which brings about alterations in biological rhythms, increasing the risk of accidents on the job, difficulty in sleeping, chronic fatigue and loss of emotional control; and dust and smoke inhalation, causing skin irritations, conjunctivitis, and respiratory problems.

Brazil is the largest world producer of "ferro-gusa" or pig iron(used in the production of steel), which has as its base this charcoal produced from trees. Counting only last year, the 52 industries involved in the production of "ferro-gusa" made 700 million dollars in profit. "Ferro-gusa" is a primary substance in modern ironworks industry. Mineral charcoal, the closest alternative, is not largely used in this industry in Brazil, since the country does not have significant mineral charcoal reserves.