Campaign promise checked: Brazil's Lula decrees 6 Indigenous reserves

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
29 Apr 2023 10:14
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The decree guarantees Indigenous people sole access to the natural resources on these territories, which is viewed by scientists as a safeguard against Amazon deforestation.

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during an event with MORENA lawmakers in Mexico City, Mexico, March 2, 2022 (Reuters)

Six additional Indigenous reserves were decreed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday, the first after such expansion was cut down drastically under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

The decree guarantees Indigenous people sole access to the natural resources on these territories, which is viewed by scientists as a safeguard against Amazon deforestation; a significant obstacle in the fight against global warming.

Lula inked the official decrees on the final day of a gathering of Indigenous people from around the country in the capital Brasilia.

"It is a time-consuming process, but we are going to make sure that as many Indigenous reserves as possible are legalized," the President said.

"If we want to achieve zero deforestation by 2030, we need registered Indigenous reserves," he added.

Under Bolsonaro's four years in office, the average annual rate of deforestation had increased by 75% compared to the previous ten years. Bolsonaro had vowed not to cede "one more centimeter" of land to Brazil's Indigenous communities.

Bolsonaro promoted measures that benefited the logging and agricultural sectors, which are mostly to blame for deforestation.

Two of the six new reserves are in the Amazon.

In the northern state of Amazonas, the largest, known as Unieuxi, was given to 249 Maku and Tukano peoples. It spans more than 550,000 hectares.

Three other reserves are located in Brazil: two in the northeast, one in the south, and one in the center.

The declaration was made on Friday at the conclusion of the 19th iteration of "Terra Livre" (Free Land), an event that brought together thousands of Indigenous people from all around the huge nation.

Approximately 800,000 Indigenous people reside in Brazil, according to the most recent census, which was conducted in 2010. The majority of them reside on reservations, which make up 13.75 percent of the country's land.