Indigenous peoples of the Amazon demand active role at COP30

By María Angélica Troncoso

Rio de Janeiro, Aug. 26 (EFE).- Two months before the UN climate summit (COP30), Indigenous peoples of the Amazon are demanding to be heard in the negotiations. Their call comes at a time when several legislative projects in Brazil threaten their territories, already under siege from land invasions, illegal mining, loggers, and drug trafficking.

“The forest only exists thanks to Indigenous peoples,” said Janete Alves, a leader of the Desana people, speaking from São Gabriel da Cachoeira, on the triple border with Colombia and Venezuela.

In a phone interview with EFE, Alves explained that Amazonian communities are organizing at the regional, national, and international levels to present a unified position at COP30, which will be held in November in the northern Brazilian city of Belém.

After suffering last year the worst drought and fire season since 2010, and facing growing economic pressures on their lands, Indigenous groups are reiterating the importance of their role in preserving the forest.

“We are coordinating with other peoples of Brazil and the Amazon because it’s not going to be easy. We want to show that we are under siege, and that defending the forest means defending life,” Alves said.

Indigenous organizations warn that their participation cannot be merely symbolic. Although they have no voting rights in the discussions, they insist their proposals must be considered in global climate decisions.

The endless struggle of the “guardians of the forest”

Figures from the MapBiomas platform show that between 1985 and 2023, only 1.2% of native vegetation in Indigenous territories was destroyed, compared to 19.9% in private areas.

Despite these efforts, Indigenous peoples face constant threats from illegal miners, loggers, and drug traffickers encroaching on their lands, often without the state managing to stop them.

Land disputes with large landowners also persist due to the lack of proper demarcation of many Indigenous territories.

According to official data, Brazil has 632 Indigenous territories. Of these, 464 are demarcated and regularized, but 158 remain under study, a process that can take up to 40 years, according to the NGO Instituto Socioambiental (ISA).

Meanwhile, legislative pressure is mounting with bills aimed at opening Indigenous lands to mining, natural gas exploration, and infrastructure projects deemed of “national interest,” including hydroelectric plants.

Alves recalled devastating examples, such as the Yanomami people, whose territory has been poisoned by mercury from illegal mining, contaminating rivers and soils and causing disease, hunger, and death, a crisis that continues despite government efforts to expel miners.

She stressed that federal support for territorial defense remains insufficient. In the Rio Negro region, she said, communities rely solely on international NGOs for resources, which are used for projects.

“But this is a vast region that needs care and presence. It has not been easy,” she warned.

Building the future

The role of Indigenous peoples in conserving the Amazon is widely recognized by organizations working to protect the biome.

Patricia Machado, deputy director of Imaflora, attributed their success to the traditional way of life in those communities.

“They see the forest as something that must remain there for future generations,” she told EFE.

Even so, she stressed the need for broader recognition of the environmental services Indigenous peoples provide in the Amazon, since “their work impacts everyone, not only those who live in the forest.”

Among Imaflora’s initiatives is Origens Brasil, a network that promotes “ethical commercial relations” between companies and Indigenous communities in the Amazon. In 2024, it mobilized more than 8.6 million reais ($1.6 million or €1.4 million) in transactions involving products such as Brazil nuts, rubber, cumaru, and handicrafts.

The network currently has 4,800 registered producers, representing 88 organizations and trading with 41 companies.

Sustainable forest management and cooperation with local communities will be one of the central topics at the 3rd Latin American Green Economy Forum, organized by Agencia EFE in São Paulo on September 4.

The meeting will bring together officials and experts to discuss the climate crisis and is sponsored by ApexBrasil, Norte Energia, and Lots Group, with the support of IBMEC, the Climate Observatory, and Imaflora. EFE

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Mrotidjam, in the Trincheira do Bacajá Indigenous Reserve (Brazil). EFE/Fernando Bizerra Jr File.

Mrotidjam, in the Trincheira do Bacajá Indigenous Reserve (Brazil). EFE/Fernando Bizerra Jr File.