In a contemporary society, awareness of the importance of environmental causes is eminent; however, crimes against the Brazilian environment do occur at an unacceptable rate, because it concerns a developing country situation. This study aims to analyze the most incident environmental crimes that occurred in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, a meridional region of Brazil, in a territory that covers 239 municipalities. The study analyzes the environmental management dilemmas that occurred in the inspection carried out by the Third Environmental Battalion of the Military Brigade in the period of 2011 to 2016. The method was qualitative and exploratory considering that the research is the first of its kind in the region. The results highlight a lack of commitment with the Brazilian environmental legislation, from offenders acting in the criminal, administrative, and civil spheres. The 5 most serious environmental crimes refer to deforestation, unlicensed activities, captive animals, solid waste pollution, and effluents pollution. Furthermore, environmental sustainability is still not present as a strategic area in the Brazilian organizations, and the ones that do have some internal practices do it more in reaction to legal penalties than for awareness of the environmental causes. The research brings important environmental information on decision making related to actions and public policies that promote environmental sustainability in developing countries.