Indigenous leaders demand the recognition of territorial rights as urgent climate policy in response to the environmental devastation.
The Amazon, the Gran Chaco and other crucial ecosystems are at risk due to more than 2.4 million hotspots and a 620% increase in areas affected by extreme droughts.
As we approach COP16 on biodiversity and look forward to COP 30 on climate change in the Amazon, the international community must act to protect indigenous territories and combat the climate crisis.
September 25, New York, US. At a press conference held in New York during Climate Week, representatives of the Indigenous Peoples of South America made an urgent call to the international community to address the unprecedented fire crisis and the worst drought in 121 years that are devastating the region.
Indigenous leaders representing Indigenous Peoples from Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela and Paraguay, along with a coalition of socio-environmental organizations, called on the international community to address this international emergency by supporting the efforts of Indigenous Peoples to confront this unprecedented crisis and the causes that are accelerating it.
Additionally, at the initiative of the Coordination of Indigenous Peoples of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), Indigenous organizations are calling on South American countries and the world to recognize and respect Indigenous territorial rights as a climate policy that addresses both the regional and global crisis by preserving forests and ecosystems.
The deep connection between Indigenous Peoples and Latin America's forests is evident in FAO data. 35% of the region's forests are found within Indigenous territories, and these peoples maintain more than 80% of their land under forest cover. In addition, almost half of the region's pristine forests, found in the Amazon, are under their care, highlighting their vital role in protecting these ecosystems.
“Our forests are burning, our rivers are drying up, our communities are suffering. The world must act now to protect the Amazon and all of South America's vital ecosystems, not just for our sake, but for the future of the entire planet,” Raoni Metuktire, Cacique Kayapó, a prominent Brazilian Indigenous leader and figurehead of the global Amazon conservation movement.
South America is home to the world's vital ecosystems, including the Amazon Basin, the Gran Chaco, and the Brazilian Cerrado, biomes that cross almost every country in the region, regulate the global climate, and are home to thousands of species of fauna and flora, as well as hundreds of Indigenous Peoples. Currently, the region is suffering the devastating environmental impacts of wildfires and droughts that affect ecosystems at an alarming rate and threaten the survival of the people who depend directly on them.
Data from NASA's Fire Information System for Resource Management reveals that as of September 17, more than 2.4 million hotspots had been recorded in 13 countries. In Bolivia, one of the most affected countries, between January 1 and September 17, 2024, 657,222 hotspots were recorded, a growth of more than 600% compared to the same period in 2023. The hotspots are centered in the Amazon, the world's largest tropical forest. It represents 40% of South America and is being ravaged by fire.
According to data published by the Amazon Regional Observatory, in the last five years, 447,517.09 hectares of the Amazon have been burned. The most affected countries are Brazil with 112,319.019 hectares and Bolivia with 52,259.84 hectares of the Amazon, ravaged by fire. The observatory also reports that in the last week alone these countries have lost 4,639 and 504 hectares, respectively, from their Amazon. The last week was particularly hard in Peru, where more than 5,600 hectares were lost, 16 people died and more than 140 were injured.
The report “Amazonía al Borde del Colapso” (Amazon on the Brink of Collapse), prepared by COIAB and presented during the press conference, describes 2024 as the year that has surpassed all historical records for drought, temperature and river levels, becoming the most critical scenario ever recorded in the region and in Brazil. Compared to the same period in 2023, the areas affected by extreme and severe drought have increased by 620%, from 21.5 million to 155 million hectares in 2024. Currently, 149 Indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon are in severe or extreme drought, and 42 of them face extreme drought, which implies severe water scarcity, completely dry rivers in several regions, large crop and pasture losses, and a drastic restriction in water use. These 42 territories represent 53% of all Indigenous lands in the region, affecting more than 3,000 Indigenous households, 110 schools and 40 health units.
“The earth is crying out in pain. Fires and drought are destroying our home and threatening our existence. The world cannot ignore this crisis. We need urgent action to protect the Amazon and all indigenous territories in South America,” Adamo Americo Diego Cusi, representative of the Tacana II Indigenous Communities - Madre de Dios River.
Although the emergency is mainly focused on the Amazon, there are other crucial ecosystems for the world, such as the Gran Chaco, which extends over more than one million square kilometers, covering an area comparable to that of France and Germany combined. The intact parts of the Gran Chaco and the adjacent Pantanal landscapes cover an area larger than California: more than 48 million hectares of ecologically important wilderness in the upper Paraguay River basin. This ecosystem stretches across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, forming a mosaic of landscapes that include lush forests, extensive savannas and vital wetlands. Its environmental and cultural richness is unparalleled, harboring Indigenous Peoples.
The particular situation of this ecosystem has set off alarm bells in the region and the world. The Amotocodie Initiative reported, on September 18, the loss of around 180,000 hectares of native forests and ranches in the Chovoreca area, located in the Chaco Boreal on the border between Bolivia and Paraguay, one of the areas most affected by the fire. In the Chovoreca fire, almost all of the Ayoreo Garaigosode Indigenous territory was lost (14,200 hectares). It should be noted that the Ayoreo People possess an additional characteristic of vulnerability because they are one of the few human groups in Isolation and Initial Contact on the continent and in the world, outside the Amazon biome.
“The fire in Chovoreca has taken almost everything from us. So far, the fires have not reached the Ayoreo Totobiegosode natural and cultural heritage, which is the largest Ayoreo indigenous reserve, yet our territory and our brothers in isolation are in grave danger. However, our territory and our brothers in isolation are in grave danger. How can we protect our brothers if our lives are also in danger?” Tagüide Picanerai of the Ayoreo people of Paraguay and member of the Payipie Ichadie Totobiegosode Organization (OPIT).
Unfortunately, the Gran Chaco faces a serious threat due to deforestation caused by the expansion of industrial agriculture, especially soybean, to meet global demand. This situation not only affects the Gran Chaco, but also impacts the Pantanal, as the increase in soybean cultivation in the surrounding highlands has degraded water sources vital to the Pantanal's annual flood cycle, on which numerous species of flora and fauna depend.
Due to wildfires and extreme droughts in the Gran Chaco, the Pantanal, the world's largest and most important wetland, has also been impacted. This ecosystem is a meeting point between the Cerrado, the Gran Chaco, the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest and the Chiquitano Dry Forest. It covers approximately 17 million hectares in the three countries and extends through Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil, part of Bolivia and Paraguay. Approximately 80 % of the Pantanal is in Brazil, and the rest extends through Bolivia and Paraguay. This ecosystem contributes to the livelihoods of about 1.5 million people who depend directly on the wetland's resources.
The data published by WWF shows that wildfires in the Pantanal increased dramatically in 2024, registering more than 3,845 fire outbreaks in August of this year alone, an increase of 3,707% over the same period of the previous year. This figure is the second highest since 1998, far exceeding the average of the last decade.
The Cerrado, Brazil's largest tropical savanna, is facing an unprecedented fire crisis. In 2024, fires in this region increased dramatically, with a 127% increase in August compared to the same month of the previous year. Mato Grosso is the most affected state, concentrating more than 31% of the hot spots. According to Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the Cerrado has already surpassed the total number of fires in years such as 2012, 2010 and 2007, evidencing a critical situation for this vital ecosystem for South America's biodiversity.
The degradation of crucial biomes in South America, such as the Amazon and the Gran Chaco, has reached a critical point, a situation that the International Work Group of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact (IWG-IPACI) has warned about since 2019. Wildfires have been increasing since that year, threatening Indigenous Peoples, particularly those in isolation and initial contact. The loss of territories due to deforestation and fires forces the displacement of these groups, increasing the risk of contact with other populations and the spread of diseases. The GTI-PIACI report underscores the urgency of addressing this crisis and protecting Indigenous Peoples in isolation and initial contact, who face an existential threat due to environmental degradation and its consequences. (View the map of fires and Indigenous Peoples in Isolation 2024, View report Brazil in flames and the impact on Isolated Indigenous Peoples).
‘We are experiencing a situation of vulnerability for all indigenous peoples in general. An urgent global mobilization is needed to guarantee the right to life of isolated peoples. They have no alternatives or refuges when the entire Amazon is burning, there are no alternatives for survival ‘ Angela Kaxuyana.
These extreme weather conditions are endangering the survival of the Indigenous Peoples whose territories have been eroded. According to the Amazon Regional Observatory, in the last five years, 475,102.97 hectares of Amazonian territory have been burned. In the last week alone, 169,868.78 hectares were burned. More than half of these fires occurred in Natural Protected Areas (21.93%) and Indigenous Lands (29.73%).
“The Amazon is the heart of the world, and it is being mortally wounded. Fires, deforestation, mining... all this is leading us to the abyss. We must unite to protect our forest and our future. Our ancestral laws are now mandatory laws in our territories, in the face of dispossession and criminalization.” - Herlin Odicio, Vice President of the Ucayali Regional Organization (ORAU).
In addition to fires, deforestation and environmental degradation, fueled by agroindustry; mining; oil and gas exploitation and the timber industry are pushing the Amazon and related ecosystems to a point of no return. Scientific studies indicate that by 2050 the Amazon ecosystem could change irreversibly. This critical situation demands urgent action by governments and civil society to protect the region, recognizing Indigenous rights and territories as key to the preservation of nature and the global climate.
Given the devastation of the region and the risk that this implies for nature, Indigenous Peoples and the global climate, it becomes a crucial scenario for government representatives, civil society organizations and opinion leaders to take protective actions and promote the recognition of Indigenous rights and territories in order to guarantee life.
“Our territories are the key to the survival of the planet. We are not just guardians of biodiversity, we are part of it. If they destroy us, they destroy the world. It's time for governments to listen to us and respect our rights”, Leo Cerda.
On the eve of the largest biodiversity negotiation, the COP16 in Colombia, and almost a year before the COP30 on climate change to be held in Belém do Pará, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, the coalition of Indigenous leaders representing the region, supported by civil society organizations, make an urgent call to confront the devastation with concrete proposals.
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