|
Land rights victory for Amazon Indians in Brazil
mongabay.com
March 20, 2009
In what is being hailed as a victory for indigenous groups in the Brazilian Amazon, Brazil's Supreme Court sided with Indians from the Raposa Serra do Sol reservation in a 30-year land dispute with large-scale farmers in the northern state of Roraima, near the border with Venezuela, reports the Associated Press.
The 10-1 decision puts the 1.7 million hectare (4.2 million acre) reserve under legal control of some 18,000 indigenous Amazonians including members of the Macuxi, Wapichana, Ingariko, Taurepang and Patamona tribes. Agricultural and industrial interests had sought to break up the reservation and exploit the land for farming, logging, and mining.
Nevertheless observers say the ruling is unlikely to end sometimes violent conflict that has plagued the area — farmers, some of whom has occupied the land since the late 1980s, say they will fight for the land. Up to 600 people could be displaced.
Twenty two percent of the Brazilian Amazon has been set aside as reservations for indigenous people. 26 tribes in Brazil live with little to no contact with the outside world, according to FUNAI, the country's National Indian Foundation.
Research has shown that indigenous reserves have substantially lower rates of deforestation than unprotected areas.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
Tags:
indigenous people indigenous cultures indigenous groups tribal groups tribal people Amazon People rainforest people amazon brazil law rainforest agriculture deforestation latin america south america happy-upbeat environmental agriculture farming logging mining Amazon mining rainforests forest people forests
CITATION:
mongabay.com (March 20, 2009). Land rights victory for Amazon Indians in Brazil. http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0320-brazil.html
|
News index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home
Advertisements:
Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing
|
|
MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
CONTENTS
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
INTERACT
POPULAR PAGES
STORE
SHIRTS
HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS
CALENDARS
Mount Kenya
East Africa Safari Wildlife
Kenya's Turkana People
Peru
African Wildlife
Alaska
China
Madagascar Chameleons
CANVAS BAGS
Hallucinogenic frog bag
Madagascar wildlife bag
|
|
|
