<
https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/brazil-strikes-intruders-of-amazons-most-deforested-indigenous-land/>
"The Brazilian government has launched a long-awaited operation to remove
thousands of non-Indigenous invaders illegally occupying two ancestral
territories in the Amazon Rainforest, in what human rights defenders hail as a
victory for protecting Native communities.
The operation began Oct. 2 in the Apyterewa and Trincheira Bacajá territories
in the state of Pará with the goal of returning the exclusive rights to the
land to the 2,500 Indigenous people who live there. Among the ethnicities
inhabiting the region are the Parakanã, Mebêngôkre Kayapó and Xikrin people, as
well as reports of uncontacted and recently contacted groups.
The illegal invaders, many of whom have lived on the land for decades, “pose a
threat to the Indigenous people and the forest, which has already had part of
the vegetation destroyed, and encourages the exploration of illegal
activities,” according to a government statement. Around 1,600 families live
illegally in the region, many of whom are involved in cattle ranching and
mining, causing soaring levels of deforestation and water pollution.
A source close to the Parakanã, who requested not to be identified for security
reasons, told
Mongabay that federal agencies, including Brazil’s Indigenous
body Funai, are protecting Indigenous villages in the Apyterewa Territory that
are situated close to invader settlements by temporarily relocating them to
other traditional communities. Funai is also advising Indigenous leaders not to
travel to certain areas while the operation continues, the source said.
Funai did not reply to
Mongabay’s request for comment.
The government’s goal is to remove invaders “peacefully and voluntarily.” Its
statement didn’t say whether the process has been conflict-free so far,
although Funai reported it repaired a bridge that was deliberately burned to
prevent removal teams from accessing an illegal farm on the territory.
The Parakanã people expressed their “broad and unrestricted support” of the
federal action through a statement from the Tato’a Indigenous Association,
which represents them. “We, the Parakanã people, have been waiting decades for
the compliance of removing invaders from our territories, which is fundamental
to guarantee our right to exclusive enjoyment of it and vital to ensure the
future of current and later generations,” they wrote."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-democracy-europe-trans-japan-conservation-israel/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
