After a short break, we’re thrilled to return with an exciting update from the Munduruku territory of Takuara in the Brazilian Amazon.
In March, a new chapter began for the region’s environmental protection efforts: a visual monitoring and documentation training was completed for the newly formed Munduruku Water Guardian group. This milestone initiative brought together senior Indigenous leaders, group coordinators, and youth from the community.
The training was led by Treesistance representative Vivi Borari, who focused on equipping the Guardians with vital skills in using cutting-edge tools—zoom cameras and drones—that will help document illegal activities such as predatory fishing, and identify routes used by illegal loggers and hunters entering via the river.
In Vivi’s own words:
“Territorial monitoring is an important tool for us, Indigenous peoples, to continue monitoring and responding to threats to our territory and our waters. In a scenario of increasing pressure on the Amazon, strengthening these strategies means reinforcing our autonomy and our capacity for defence, keeping alive our ways of life and our ancestral relationship with the forest and the waters.”
Guardians in Action: Dredging Confrontation Leads to Legal Response
The Guardians’ impact was immediate.
On their first excursion, they identified a vessel illegally dredging the river within their territory (dredging being a process used to deepen waterways, in this case to enable large soy transport ships to access deeper parts of the Amazon—often at the cost of Indigenous lands and vital ecosystems) —a serious environmental threat linked to large-scale soy transportation, often tied to forest destruction.
Thanks to their swift action, the community filed a formal complaint, and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) has since requested the suspension of the dredging and official marking of the Tapajós River, which runs through the region.
Supporting the Guardians: Partnership for Long-Term Impact
Treesistance partners with Indigenous peoples in the Brazilian Amazon to protect primary rainforest using bold, tangible strategies built on four strategic pillars:
- Access to Justice
- Communications
- Renewable Energy
- Economic Development
This innovative model provides the technology, logistical support, and training needed for the Munduruku people of Bragança/ Marituba and Takuara to prevent predatory fishing, stop invasions via waterways, and protect the precious ecosystems that both they—and we—depend on.
Scaling Up: Boats, Drones, and Inter-Territorial Cooperation
90% of the project funds had been deployed. Two smaller speedboats—one for each territory—have been purchased, along with two high-quality drones. Once the boats arrive, a two-day joint workshop will be held to begin coordinated monitoring efforts. The aim is to support inter-territorial collaboration in protecting a 160km stretch along the Tapajós National Forest.
