{"id":7461,"date":"2025-07-23T22:40:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T22:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/treesistance.com\/?p=7461"},"modified":"2025-07-24T06:34:38","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T06:34:38","slug":"the-forest-is-not-commercial-but-a-source-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/treesistance.com\/nl\/the-forest-is-not-commercial-but-a-source-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Het woud is een Source of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In June, Chief Dad\u00e1 Borar\u00ed travelled from the heart of the Brazilian Amazon to the Netherlands \u2014 not just to receive an international sustainability award, but to continue building the global alliances needed to protect his people and the forest they call home.<\/p>

For over two decades, Dad\u00e1 has led the resistance against illegal deforestation in the Mar\u00f3 territory, a 42,000-hectare region near the Tapaj\u00f3s River where several Indigenous communities live. The land is legally protected, but that hasn\u2019t stopped large timber companies from trying to extract what they call green gold.<\/p>

What Dad\u00e1 and his people see is something else entirely: life, medicine, water, knowledge \u2014 a forest that cannot be reduced to profit.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A quiet presence with a powerful message<\/strong><\/p>

Chief Dad\u00e1 came to the Netherlands with a clear purpose: to share his story, connect with allies, and strengthen the collaboration between his community in the Amazon and the growing Treesistance movement.<\/p>

During his time in Amsterdam, he spoke about the realities on the ground in Mar\u00f3 and the daily work of the forest guardians who protect their territory from illegal deforestation. Together with Treesistance, he is helping expand this model of Indigenous-led forest protection across the region \u2014 through training, technology, and international solidarity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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A long path of resistance<\/strong><\/p>

Dad\u00e1\u2019s resistance began in 2004, when the first illegal logging crews entered his territory. What followed were years of escalating threats, violence, and attempts to silence him.<\/p>

In 2006, Dad\u00e1 was kidnapped and tortured for refusing to allow the forest to be cleared. He was found unconscious, strung between two trees. A year later, his house was burned, his dogs poisoned. Today, he lives under a national security program in Brazil \u2014 escorted by armed officers every time he leaves his village.<\/p>

\u201cI don\u2019t have freedom,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it feels good that I am protecting the forest.\u201d<\/p>

Despite these threats, the guardians of Mar\u00f3 continue their work. In partnership with Dutch criminologist Tim Boekhout van Solinge, Dad\u00e1 and his team now use GPS technology and smart phones to document illegal logging. If an intruder is found, the team engages in peaceful dialogue. Only if necessary, do they remove vehicle keys or call in the authorities.<\/p>

Their presence alone has been effective. In recent years, loggers have stayed out of Mar\u00f3.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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International recognition<\/strong><\/p>

On June 20, Chief Dad\u00e1 was awarded the Prix Voltaire \u2014 an international sustainability award given to those who fight for \u201cfuture fundamentals.\u201d He is the first Indigenous leader to receive the prize.<\/p>

The ceremony took place in the coastal town of Noordwijk, at the Huis ter Duin hotel. Dad\u00e1 stood alongside previous winners like Unilever\u2019s former CEO Paul Polman and LanzaTech\u2019s Jennifer Holmgren. But he is not easily impressed by titles or boardrooms.<\/p>

\u201cMaybe the forest is worth more than a company,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cWhat we give back is clean air and nature. The forest is not commercial, but a source of life.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Treesistance continues<\/strong><\/p>

Chief Dad\u00e1\u2019s visit to the Netherlands was part of a growing effort to build international solidarity and scale the Treesistance model. From public talks to forest walks, from intimate donor gatherings to celebrations in the park, the message remained the same: the Amazon is still under threat \u2014 and the most powerful protectors are those who have lived with and cared for the forest for generations.<\/p>

Treesistance stands behind them, and we\u2019re honoured to walk alongside Chief Dad\u00e1 and the guardians of Mar\u00f3.<\/p>

To learn more or support the work, visit treesistance.com.<\/a><\/p>

This article draws on reporting by Nick Vink, originally published in Dutch by Leidsch Dagblad on July 5, 2025. Some quotes and background details have been adapted from that original publication. Read the full article here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In June, Chief Dad\u00e1 Borar\u00ed travelled from the heart of the Brazilian Amazon to the Netherlands \u2014 not just to receive an international sustainability award, but to continue building the global alliances needed to protect his people and the forest they call home. For over two decades, Dad\u00e1 has led the resistance against illegal deforestation […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7484,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[20],"class_list":["post-7461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","tag-chief-dada-borari-receives-international-recognition-for-his-decades-long-resistance"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Forest is a Source of Life - Treesistance<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"An active and optimistic refusal to comply with a system that exploits nature.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/treesistance.com\/nl\/the-forest-is-not-commercial-but-a-source-of-life\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_NL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Forest is a Source of Life - 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