Successful formation new forest guardians group
This July we supported the successful formation of another group of forest guardians. The training involved 3 Indigenous groups: Arapiun, Jaraqui and Tapajo and was carried out in the Cobra Grande, meaning Big Snake, Indigenous Territory. The people of this area are faced with invaders interested in planting soybeans, raising cattle, illegally extracting timber, and engaging in predatory hunting and fishing. Now that the formation of a local group of forest guardians is complete, the Indigenous people in the area now have more tools and knowledge to protect their lands from illegal invaders.
Training new forest guardians
The training was led by the Treesistance Head of Forest Guardians program Chief Dadá Borari and selected members of the Maro Indigenous Territory and was made possible by the Dutch law firm Synergy Business Lawyers, who sponsored the formation. More than 50 individuals were successfully trained and are already working in the field.
The training included discussions on safe confrontation techniques, presentations on territorial defense and using technology in the field. Skills that are unfortunately a necessity in an area that has had a troubled history with non-indigenous people trying to exploit their land at the cost of the environment and the Indigenous People that try to defend it.
Threats to the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory and People
The Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory is located in the municipality of Santarem, on the banks of the Arapiun River. This river springs from the Tapajos and Amazon river. For more than 20 years FUNAI (National Indian Foundation Brazil) has been working to demarcate the territory. Unfortunately due to circumstances like missing cartographic and land studies the process has taken longer than hoped. Due to this delay in demarcating their lands, the people of the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory are faced with numerous invaders. This caused many conflicts between indigenous and non-indigenous people. So much so that cases of violence and discrimination against indigenous people led the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office to request that an investigation be opened by the Federal Police.*
Another problem faced by the indigenous people, with the delay in demarcation, was the creation of an agro-extractive settlement by INCRA – National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, which overlaps their lands. But thankfully that issue is resolved with the delimitation of the Cobra Grande TI, which has 8,906 hectares on the left bank of the lower course of the Arapiuns River.
*Update – On September 5th 2024, the Ministry of Justice signed a decree to formally recognize the Cobra Grande Indigenous Territory
Welcome and specials thanks
We welcome the new group of forest guardians and wish them lots of strength and wisdom in the challenges that they face. Also we would like to give a special thanks to the Dutch law firm Synergy Business Lawyers for sponsoring this formation.
