Collaboration and strong data work lead to exclusive on rare earth mining in Brazil

An ambitious collaboration between AP and the nonprofit news organization Repórter Brasil produced an exclusive look at who is positioning themselves to benefit from Brazil’s emerging rare earth mining industry — and what that expansion could mean for communities and the environment.

The team, including AP reporter Gabriela Sa Pessoa and Diego Junqueira and Isabel Harari of Repórter Brasil, reviewed nearly 3,000 mining applications, identified hundreds of companies behind them and examined corporate records to trace subsidiaries and foreign investment. Their analysis revealed significant involvement by Australian, U.S. and Canadian interests seeking alternatives to China’s dominance of rare earth production.

The team’s innovative collaboration, painstaking data work and original reporting illuminated the forces shaping Brazil’s emerging rare earth industry.