Brazilian President Lula da Silva signed a decree on Wednesday that formalizes the demarcation of two indigenous lands and a series of measures to protect forests, on the day that commemorates Amazon Day.
The indigenous lands of Rio Gregório, in the municipality of Tarauacá, state of Acre, zone of traditional and permanent occupation of the Katukina and Yawanawá peoples, and Acapuri de Cima, in the city of Fonte Boa, state of Amazonas, were the lands currently demarcated .
In the main hall of the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, without a single seat to fill and full of indigenous people, the Brazilian President, together with his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, and the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, among others, stated that the Amazonian peoples “are in a hurry to get rid of” the attacks they have suffered over the years.
On this occasion, six conservation units were created in Roraima, on the border with Venezuela, and decrees for the preservation, monitoring, and against deforestation in the Amazon biome, in degraded preservation areas.
Lula da Silva also announced a program that provides for the transfer of up to 600 million reais (112 million euros) from the Amazon Fund to municipalities, so that they reinforce actions to combat deforestation and forest fires.
“The Amazon is in a hurry to survive those peoples who do not want to see the future”, “is in a hurry to stay alive” and “is in a hurry to continue being the guardian of our biodiversity”, but also “free from the violence of underdevelopment”, to have more and new jobs for the populations that live there, stressed the Brazilian President.
The Brazilian head of state also promised “concrete actions” by the Federal Government so that by 2030 the commitment to zero deforestation is achieved.
As for the demarcated lands, these are added to the approval of the demarcation of another six, in April, throughout the Brazilian territory.
The announcement of the new demarcated lands comes at a time when the Federal Supreme Court is reviewing the rights of indigenous people to their ancestral lands, a controversial issue pitting indigenous peoples against the powerful agricultural sector.
Since last week, after a pause of almost two months, the judges of the highest instance have been discussing the constitutionality of the legal thesis known as the “temporary framework”, according to which indigenous peoples only have the right to the lands they occupied in October . 5 of 1988, date of promulgation of the Brazilian Constitution.
The thesis, highly criticized by the indigenous peoples, would prevent the demarcation of lands that traditionally belonged to the original peoples, but which in 1988 had already been occupied by farmers, sometimes by force.
Up to now, of the eleven judges that make up the court, four have voted against the “term” and two in favor.
In May, the Chamber of Deputies approved by majority the bill that establishes the deadlines for the demarcation of indigenous lands, which still must be approved by the Senate, something in which the decision of the Court may influence.
According to official data, indigenous peoples in Brazil occupy 13.7% of the national territory, with 610 indigenous lands, of which 487 are demarcated.
Of this total, the vast majority is located in the Brazilian Amazon, with 329 demarcated areas.
Source: TSF
