Brazil court suspends Temer's decision to free up nature reserve to mining

A federal court in Brasília ordered the immediate suspension of "any and all administrative action" aimed at lifting the protected status of the Renca mineral-rich nature reserve on the border of northern Brazil's Pará and Amapá states.

The court decision, which was published late Tuesday in the official gazette, follows President Michel Temer's (pictured) decision to end Renca's protected status and open the area up to mineral exploration, news service G1 reported.

The judge ruled that the federal government's intention to totally or partially lift the mining ban in the Denmark-sized reserve by means of a simple decree and without congressional discussion is "inadequate," the report said.

Because it is located in the Amazon rainforest, changes to the use of the area's resources can only be made by a federal law, the judge said.

Temer's decision was met with strong opposition domestically and abroad. To deal with the outcry, the government on Monday published a second decree in the official gazette to "clarify" the rules regarding mineral exploration in the nature reserve.

The second decree revoked the first one that ended of the reserve's protected status but maintained the decision to authorize mineral exploration in part of Renca.

The decree analyzed by the judge was the one that had been revoked by the government. However, the ruling's application was extended to any "successor" decrees, according to the report.