{"id":16687,"date":"2021-07-02T14:56:14","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T02:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/?p=16687"},"modified":"2025-07-28T21:07:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T09:07:22","slug":"indigenous-communities-in-danger-of-being-erased-from-the-map-in-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/story\/indigenous-communities-in-danger-of-being-erased-from-the-map-in-brazil\/","title":{"rendered":"Indigenous communities in danger of being erased from the map in Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cWe were already on this land before Brazil was Brazil,\u201d \u2014Eliseu Lopes, Indigenous leader<\/em><\/p>\n\n

After living on and fighting for their lands for centuries, the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Brazil are endangered by a legal loophole called Marco Temporal that could legalize theft of their lands\u2014unless the Brazilian Supreme Court stops it.<\/p>\n\n

The profit-hungry forces behind Marco Temporal want to deny Indigenous Peoples\u2019 rights to their lands unless it can be proven that they occupied them at the time of Brazil\u2019s 1988 constitution\u2014which was supposed to have guaranteed their land rights. Meanwhile, a bill (PL 490) being considered by Brazil\u2019s Congress seeks to open Indigenous Lands for industrial agriculture, mining, and other extractive activities.<\/p>\n\n

If Indigenous communities cannot provide the proof demanded by Marco Temporal then they are at risk of basically being ruled not to exist!<\/p>\n\n

\"Indigenous
Indigenous Peoples protest in Brasilia, Brazil. \u00a9 Andressa Zumpano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

This legal loophole is a brazen attempt to trample over Indigenous rights by land grabbers who have been emboldened by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonarro and his anti-environment administration. <\/p>\n\n

For safety reasons, many Indigenous communities in Brazil do not explicitly state the locations of their dwellings, and, therefore, they have not directly participated in the land demarcation process that could soon be used to steal their lands and livelihoods from them. The impact would be most heavy on the most isolated Indigenous communities.  <\/p>\n\n

Indigenous Peoples are the guardians of the forest. Protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and their lands means protecting everyone\u2019s future. It\u2019s crucial to protect the Guardians of the Forest and ensure that the Brazilian Supreme court knows the world will be watching its decision.<\/p>\n\n

Indigenous rights groups like The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) are calling on the Brazilian Supreme Court to strike down Marco Temporal as unconstitutional. The court ended it\u2019s June session without a decision on the case, but stated the case will return to the Court\u2019s agenda<\/a> on 25 August. Alarmingly, the bill PL490 has already advanced past Brazil\u2019s constitutional affairs committee and is headed for the lower house of Congress and then potentially to the Senate. <\/p>\n\n

In June, hundreds of Indigenous People from all across Brazil came to Bras\u00edlia to protest against the land invasions they all face and stand united. Their peaceful protest in Brazil\u2019s capital \u2014 which included children and elders \u2014 was met with violence<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n

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URGENTE!
Tropa de choque est\u00e1 atacando fam\u00edlias ind\u00edgenas que protestam pacificamente em Bras\u00edlia, pr\u00f3ximo ao Congresso Nacional, contra o PL 490. #PL490N\u00e3o<\/a> #TerraIndigenaFica<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/We9BHCBSjV<\/a><\/p>— Greenpeace Brasil (@GreenpeaceBR) June 22, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote>