Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, signed decrees for the legalization of three new indigenous reserves. This raises to 13 the territories of indigenous peoples recognized by his government since the beginning of his term in 2023.
“We have two more years of government ahead and we will continue working to legalize and deliver all possible lands,” declared Lula during an official event in Brasilia.
Importance of Indigenous Reserves
Numerous experts consider these territories to play an essential role in the fight against global warming, acting as a shield against deforestation and the fires that affect the Amazon and other regions of Brazil. None of the reserves homologated on Wednesday are located in the Amazon zone. Two of them are in the state of Santa Catarina and another in Paraíba.
Details of the New Indigenous Reserves in Brazil
The largest of the three reserves, in Paraíba, is named Potiguara de Monte-Mor and covers an area of 7,530 hectares, with a population of 5,799 Potiguara indigenous people.
In Santa Catarina, the Morro dos Cavalos reserve, with 1,983 hectares, is home to 200 indigenous people of the Guarani Mbya and Ñandeva peoples. Also in Santa Catarina is Toldo Imbu, with 731 people from the Kaingang ethnicity in 1,960 hectares.
Historical and Political Context
In April 2023, Lula had already decreed the legalization of the first six reserves of his term, putting an end to five years of waiting for indigenous peoples.
During the presidency of his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), no new territories were demarcated, as the far-right leader fulfilled his promise of “not yielding a single more centimeter” to the natives. Bolsonaro, an ally of the agribusiness sector, supported the expansion of agricultural activity throughout Brazilian territory, including the Amazon.
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