Brazil

 

4 06, 2026

A girl, a snake, and the right to care for the forest

2026-10-30T15:55:02-04:00Tags: |

It started in 2009 when an Indigenous Yepamahsã girl from the Northwestern Brazilian Amazon was bitten by a snake. The attending doctor allowed for traditional healers to administer bahsese, sacred healing words and rituals. The combination of both traditional and Western medical interventions led her to recover in just 45 days, four times faster than expected. This collaboration highlighted the need for public policies to acknowledge the significance and validity of traditional healing methods held by Indigenous peoples and to allow them to be practiced without prejudice or discrimination. The case eventually made it to the Inter-American Court where in 2025, 16 years after the young girl was treated, it was finally recognized that health and care cannot be separated from tradition and territory. The Court also concluded that “states must adopt measures to prevent, mitigate, and remedy environmental harm, not only as an environmental objective but also as a condition for guaranteeing other rights, including the right to care.” New policies have been pushed that protect Indigenous lands and forests that recognize the multitude of ways in which we are interconnected with our world, and recognizing the stewardship of its peoples.

10 05, 2026

In the Brazilian Amazon, an Indigenous Bioeconomy Takes Root

2026-05-10T13:18:50-04:00Tags: |

Reciprocity, redistribution, recognition, and respect. These are the 4 elements of a sustainable economic model called ‘Indigenous bioeconomy.’ Reciprocity necessitates that production benefits both people and the planet. Redistribution ensures that economic gains are equally shared. Recognition safeguards the land rights of Indigenous and traditional peoples. Respect is rooted in the preservation of ancestral knowledge and culture. An example of this in action comes from the Northeastern Amazon where women in the Baniwa community produce and harvest Jiquitaia chili peppers using traditional knowledge and methods. The women have authority over this process from seed to market and have shown how commercialization and collective benefit are not mutually exclusive. In addition, they use sustainable materials and techniques to create handicrafts such as basket and ceramics which support both their livelihoods and the life of the forest. The numbers don’t lie. Research shows that the loss of the Amazon forest is 30 times lower when managed by Indigenous people. Therefore, women like those in Baniwa are showing the world what sustainability really looks like—the ability to sustain for all people and all time.

19 11, 2025

Women-led innovation and climate solutions take center stage at COP30

2026-05-25T23:24:06-04:00Tags: , |

A session titled “Women: Voices that Guide the Future” took place as part of the Action Agenda’s program at COP30 on November 19th. The event featured a video showcasing the progress and results of the “Voices of the Biomes” project, an initiative dedicated to capturing the stories of women leading efforts in sustainable solutions across some of Brazil’s major biomes. The project thoughtfully incorporated the voices of a diverse range of women, including farmers, Indigenous women, quilombola women, scientists, and entrepreneurs who, despite facing the disproportionate effects of climate change that women do, continue to lead in developing and implementing sustainable solutions that simultaneously combat the climate crisis and support their communities’ needs. As described by Juremas Werneck, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil, throughout the project “We saw fire on wet land, we saw drought on flooded land, we saw hunger where there once was abundance. But we also saw the determination of women to rebuild life.” Denise Dora, a human rights lawyer and feminist activist, echoed a similar sentiment when recalling her experience living through and working with women who had lost their homes, memories, and belongings to severe flooding. She pointed to specific challenges that these women had struggled through, such as difficulties with access to food and shelter. By deliberately incorporating and centering these experiences, Dora compellingly emphasized the importance of explicitly including women in climate discussions and recognizing and learning from the solutions that they have developed at the local and national levels.

7 08, 2025

Indigenous Women March Against Ferrogrão Railway and “Devastation Bill” in Brazil

2026-10-30T17:56:31-04:00Tags: |

At the fourth Indigenous Women’s March, over 5,000 Indigenous women from across Brazil came together to highlight the increasingly dangerous threats that the proposed Ferrogrão railway and the “Devastation Bill” pose to Indigenous territories and the Amazon Rainforest. The railway would tear through the heart of the Amazon to transport soy and corn for export, threatening Indigenous communities and contaminating their water and soil. Irepoiti Metuktire, a Kayapó leader, emphasizes that her people do not even eat soy, yet the contaminants used to produce it are poisoning their communities and ecosystems. Under international law, communities have the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, yet they were never consulted about the project. Indigenous leaders, like Panh-ô Kayapó, a leader of the Baú Indigenous Territory, also highlighted how the “Devastation Bill,” which would fast-track destructive projects, shows that Congress is prioritizing profits over the Brazilian people. They are urging President Lula to veto the bill and protect Indigenous territories and the Amazon.

24 10, 2023

Why Native Women’s Voices Are Crucial to Saving Brazil’s Forests

2024-09-13T15:39:35-04:00Tags: |

Cristiane Julião, an unwavering force from the Pankararu Indigenous group and co-founder of the National Articulation of Ancestral Warriors Women (ANMIGA), boldly confronts the entrenched sexism impeding environmental preservation in Brazil. Recognizing women’s critical role in defending both Indigenous rights and the land itself, Julião galvanized Indigenous women nationwide to form ANMIGA in 2015. At the groundbreaking Indigenous Women’s March in 2019, Julião stood alongside over 2,500 women from 130 Indigenous groups, denouncing rights violations and demanding recognition of their pivotal role in safeguarding cultural heritage and natural resources. As a beacon of advocacy, Julião amplifies Indigenous women's voices on the global stage, confronting institutionalized sexism within agencies like FUNAI, striving to dismantle the antiquated hierarchy that marginalizes women's contributions to land stewardship and sustainable practices. With a profound grasp of the environmental perils faced by Indigenous communities, Julião and her counterparts lead the charge for climate justice, rallying at prestigious forums like COP26. Despite shouldering the primary responsibility for land care and bearing the brunt of the adverse effects of activities like mining and logging on the environment and on the health of the community, women's endeavors are frequently thwarted by insufficient public policy. Julião's advocacy demands the inclusion of Indigenous women in policy-making to ensure practical solutions that safeguard the environment and Indigenous livelihoods. She fervently contends, the liberation of Indigenous women isn't merely crucial for environmental preservation, it's an imperative for the very survival of Indigenous cultures and territories in the face of relentless threats.

5 10, 2023

Brazil’s Indigenous women march again for the rights of their people and lives

2025-07-21T14:41:00-04:00Tags: |

8,000 Indigenous women gathered in Brasília during the third March of Indigenous Women to strengthen their influence in political spaces and push for public policies that support their communities, both within and beyond traditional territories. The first march took place in 2019, followed by the second in 2021. Out of these mobilizations, ANMIGA was formed, paving the way for a new generation of leaders and activists defending the rights of Indigenous peoples. Currently, there are more than 90 involved in the greater Indigenous movement in Brazil. The impact of this advocacy is visible in recent political milestones, such as the historic elections of Sonia Guajajara, now Minister of Indigenous Peoples, and Célia Xakriabá, a member of the Chamber of Deputies. This third march has been monumental for Indigenous women in politics as it led to the filing of the Combat Violence Against Indigenous Women Bill. Initiated by Célia Xakriabá, it is the first in the Brazilian legislature written in two Indigenous languages—Akwen and Guaraní. For many of the movement’s leaders, protecting the Earth is inseparable from the fight for human rights. As stated in the Manifesto Reflorestarmentes, “It is necessary and urgent to reconnect with Mother Earth, as this is the only way to keep our bodies alive.” The third march emphasized the importance of including the preservation of biodiversity in the struggle for Indigenous rights. Through these historic marches, Indigenous women have highlighted the importance of listening to Indigenous peoples within Brazilian politics while protecting our planet.

25 09, 2023

Indigenous women are showing us how to fight for environmental and human rights

2025-02-21T17:33:06-05:00Tags: |

Indigenous women in Brazil are leading the fight for climate and environmental justice by bringing ancestral strength and knowledge to the beacons of power in the country. These women have been protesting and reaching positions in congress, with their demands expanding on ecological frameworks of justice. They are pushing for a new bill to protect Indigenous women from violence linked to mining and exploitation of the environment and communities. Furthermore, the women have been creating spaces for strategic and successful sisterhood, decolonization, and community building for indigenous women in and out of government. They have successfully overturned the marco temporal legal concept which attempted to trivialize Indigenous claims to land, leaving protected peoples and environments vulnerable to violence and extraction. This is part of their mission to reforest politics and the mind—engaging in actions that heal the planet, people, and greater ecosystem. They are bringing regeneration not just to their environment, but to the world through knowledge, care, solidarity, and re-Indigenization. They are demanding the recognition and uplifting of Indigenous women and their work in order to restore the world.

14 09, 2023

Brazil’s Indigenous Women Rally to Protect Their Land

2025-04-09T20:47:20-04:00Tags: |

During the 3rd March of Indigenous Women, themed “Ecosystem Women in Defense of Biodiversity through Ancestral Roots,” demonstrators took to the streets of Brasilia calling for the protection of women’s rights and defending their right to Indigenous lands. Sineia do Vale, the national coordinator for Brazil’s Indigenous Committee on Climate Change, stresses that climate change is deeply interconnected with social and cultural issues and that their objective is to manage their territories in accordance with their traditional knowledge. The displacement of Indigenous people changes their way of life and prevents them from accessing local resources to remain self sufficient, resulting in higher rates of disease, alcoholism, malnutrition and suicide, according to Survival International. Women are involved in family farming at high rates, and are most often responsible for domestic duties, experiencing the effects of climate change much more directly. The organizers of the march proudly highlight the increasing visibility of Indigenous women and their role in the defense of their territories.

29 04, 2023

Could AI save the Amazon rainforest?

2025-02-14T12:53:13-05:00Tags: |

Jill Langlois, a Brazil-based journalist, illuminates a possible new path for conservation initiatives using artificial intelligence technology. Between 1985-2019, 336,681 square miles (sq) of native vegetation were lost to deforestation in Brazil. In response to this crisis, researchers at the Amazon Institute of People and the Environment (Imazon), a Brazilian research institution promoting conservation and sustainable development in the Amazon, have developed an artificial intelligence platform called PrevisIA. This technology highlights the forest areas under the biggest threat of deforestation to assist in preventive actions. The team started working on PrevisIA in 2016, aiming to identify innovative ways to prevent deforestation through short-term prediction models. The project is built on geostatistics and historical data in order to make predictions more accurate, although degradation is often difficult to measure and define. At the same time, the platform analyzes variables that would rather slow or prevent further deforestation, and variables that make deforestation more likely. Artificial intelligence is emerging as a new frontier for global work. While there are environmental trade-offs, models such as PrevisIA may provide conservationists with methods to move forward.

24 04, 2023

Goldman Prize Honors Indigenous Woman Who Stopped Mining Giant

2025-02-20T18:16:32-05:00Tags: |

Alessandra Korap Munduruku's unwavering dedication to protecting the Amazon rainforest from mining operations has earned her the prestigious Goldman Prize for South and Central America in 2023. As a prominent leader of Brazil's Indigenous Munduruku community, Alessandra spearheaded a powerful campaign against mining giants like Anglo American, resulting in the withdrawal of 27 research applications to mine within Indigenous territories. Her efforts, backed by the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) and Amazon Watch, underscored the necessity of informed consent from Indigenous communities, as mandated by Brazil's constitution. Alessandra's journey began in 2014 when she witnessed the devastating effects of gold mining on her community's way of life, particularly on their reliance on fishing. Motivated by the urging of fellow Munduruku woman, Maria Leusa Kaba Munduruku, Alessandra challenged traditional gender roles within her community and encouraged more women to join the fight for land rights. She emphasizes the importance of unity within the community, highlighting that victories like the one against Anglo American, are built upon collective action and decision-making.

20 04, 2023

The Sustainable Climate Future Belongs to Women

2025-03-23T01:52:26-04:00Tags: , |

This article explores the pivotal role of women in combating the climate crisis and why it is imperative to bolster their endeavors. The text acknowledges the severity of climate change while drawing inspiration from women spearheading conservation, agriculture, and restoration projects. It sheds light on  funding discrepancies that primarily benefit larger, male-led environmental organizations, sidelining grassroots initiatives led by women. A standout example is the work of Flávia Neves Maia in Brazil. The article underscores the interconnected challenges women face, including food insecurity and health impacts stemming from climate change, emphasizing the demand for evidence-based solutions. It calls for global recognition and support for women's contributions and advocates for solidarity and unity in tackling the climate crisis while adopting a compassionate approach toward our planet.

6 04, 2023

Where Indigenous land rights prevail in Brazil, so does nature, study finds

2025-07-13T20:20:21-04:00Tags: |

Following two decades of struggle to reclaim a territory of nearly 7,000 acres, an official process of demarcation for Brazil’s Indigenous territories has commenced. Catarina Delfina, 73 years old, is one of the Indigenous leaders behind the reclamation of the territory and stresses that the so-called marco temporal must be declared unconstitutional, as it only entitles Indigenous populations to claim lands they occupied when the current constitution came into effect in 1988. While there are many obstacles to the demarcation process, including gas pipelines and a sand mining company, local populations are hopeful that this change will allow for independent work on the territory, including the opening of schools and reforestation projects. A recent study found that full homologation and demarcation lead to less deforestation in the Atlantic Forest, with some territories experiencing an increase in forest cover of more than 20% of the total area. The Atlantic Forest is the most degraded biome in Brazil, having been reduced to just 12% of its original area. While demarcation was not possible under former president Bolsonaro, Indigenous peoples such as the Pataxó have placed their hopes in current president Lula. Parts of their territory fall within the Monte Pascoal National Park, designated in 1961, though only certain areas are reserved for the Indigenous community. As of June 2023, twelve territories located in the Atlantic Forest are ready to be demarcated, with eight still awaiting a declaratory decree. In the meantime, many communities have begun restoring degraded areas and emphasize the importance of demarcation for their physical, dietary, cultural, and spiritual safety.

4 04, 2023

The Sustainable Climate Future Belongs To Women

2025-03-06T00:47:00-05:00Tags: , |

Zainab Salbi, co-founder of the environmental nonprofit organization Daughters for Earth, is bringing attention to the lack of acknowledgement and financial support received by women-led organizations, where incredible work and innovations are being held back by lack of funding. Women making practical changes behind the scenes continually go unnoticed. They are neglected in philanthropic donations, with the majority of this money going to the 20 largest, predominantly male-led, organizations. With numerous large technology-based projects in motion, attention must finally be given to crucial smaller-scale projects such as Filha do Sol—a women-led effort to restore degraded mangrove forests in Northwest Brazil. With adequate funding, this project could prevent the release of 42,177,836 tons of carbon into the atmosphere, as well as improve the livelihoods of local communities who depend on these forests for their food and income. To help scale-up and maximize the impact of projects like this, Daughters for Earth is raising and deploying $100 million to women-led environmental projects across the globe.

8 02, 2023

‘If Brazil starts with us, why did we arrive last?’: Q&A with Indigenous lawmaker Célia Xakriabá

2025-04-09T20:37:50-04:00Tags: |

Celia Xakriabá, who had won the seat of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies, was interviewed about her campaign and her aims for the next years. She describes the importance children and youth played in her campaign and how, for many parents, their future was the tipping point that motivated them to vote for Xakriabá. Being both the youngest Indigenous deputy in the world and the first Indigenous woman to receive a PhD in her state, Xakriabá and Sonia Gujajara, Brazil’s first Minister of Indigenous Peoples, share a feeling of loneliness that Xakriabá sees as part of what she calls “the racism of absence.” Far too often, the demarcation of territories only happened after the death of an Indigenous leader, but Xakriabá says no one should have to wait for that moment. She pushes for the implementation of quotas across the country as a form of reparation and the creation of a secretariat for Indigenous education within the Ministry of Education via new legislation. The country’s statute on Indigenous peoples needs to be updated, leaving behind its racist terminology and views, something that has already begun under the Presidency of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and is continuing with her guidance.

6 02, 2023

‘A different perspective’: the journalist reporting the Amazon through fresh eyes

2025-12-11T14:01:10-05:00Tags: |

Elaíze Farias is the editor at Amazônia Real, a media outlet that reports the ongoing violation of Indigenous rights in the Brazilian Amazon. Having grown up on the banks of the Amazon and being of Indigenous origin, she recalls listening to stories about her ancestry passed down from her grandparents in her childhood. As an adult, she pursued a university degree in journalism and later spent time documenting stories of people in Manaus struggling with access to clean water and electricity. From the start of her career, she began to notice how traditional journalism on environmental politics in the Amazon tended to stigmatize or fetishize Indigenous people. “Outsiders like to make the Amazon exotic, like a theatre,” she says. “They want to wow people. They want something they can sell.” It was her observation of this type of coverage that prompted her to spearhead Amazônia Real over a decade ago. Today, she remains dedicated to centering underreported stories from marginalized communities through a decolonized lens. The methodology behind her investigative journalism is very intentional in how it prioritizes the perspective of people often excluded from mainstream media. She openly stands against the oppression of Indigenous peoples and emphasizes the importance of extending journalism beyond publishing a story. When discussing this, she specified how the same communities who trust journalists with their stories and their lives frequently get used as material for news reports only to be discarded after publication. Remaining in touch with communities and individuals who have worked with her and remaining present to offer her support when needed is foundational to building the trust and solidarity that prevents such abandonment. Further beyond her journalism, Farias has also been a part of several lectures and panels alongside various domestic and international organizations to speak about her work and the stories she’s told.

1 02, 2023

Joenia Wapichana: ‘I Want To See The Yanomami And Raposa Serra Do Sol Territories Free Of Invasions’

2023-07-02T00:01:56-04:00Tags: |

Karla Mendes interviews Joenia Wapichana, Brazil’s first Indigenous woman lawyer and President of Brazil’s national Indigenous affairs agency, Funai. Wapichana discusses the thousands of illegal gold mines that have caused a public health emergency in Yanomami Territory, resulting in the deaths of 570 children who suffered from malnutrition and other serious illnesses. Wapichana contends that ensuring public health will require not only the removal of illegal mining, but also a lasting security presence within the area. She explains the need for studies that can identify the lasting impact of mining industries once they have been removed. When asked about ways to decrease prejudice towards Indigenous communities, Wapichana noted the importance of proper terminology and affirming the rights of Indigenous peoples. In the future, Wapichana hopes to be reelected to Congress and to see increased Indigenous representation in government. Photo Credit: Katie Mähler via Apib Comunicação

19 01, 2023

Q&A: Gabriela Sá Pessoa talks hope and crisis in Lula’s Brazil

2025-04-23T12:01:40-04:00Tags: |

Brazilian journalist Gabriela Sá Pessoa, an advocate for climate change and human rights, discusses her transition from political reporting to climate issues. She underscores the need for a deeper understanding of the Amazon's complexities, its history, and its impact on climate change. She applauds the press for its role in raising public awareness about deforestation during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency. She anticipates challenges in holding the new administration, led by former President Lula, accountable for climate promises, considering the strong influences of the agribusiness lobby. She suggests that journalists should focus on stories related to illegal mining's impact on Indigenous communities and the supply and demand of illegal resources. Lastly, she emphasizes the importance of presenting climate change as a human story that requires action and solutions.

2 11, 2022

Brazil Has a New President. What’s Next for the Amazon?

2025-04-09T19:06:16-04:00Tags: |

As Brazil elects a new president, Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva, Mélissa Godin, a reporter for Atmos magazine, explores the past policies that hurt the Brazilian Amazon and the future steps needed to preserve it. First, Godin interviews Rita Mesquita, a researcher studying the Amazon’s resilience. In her work, she realized that larger forest patches better support biodiversity and forest longevity. However, increased deforestation under former president Bolsonaro taught Mesquita that being involved in policy is just as important as scientific research. Godin also met with Vanda Witto, an Indigenous woman who exposed Bolsonaro's indifference to the COVID-19 pandemic and Indigenous rights, pushing her to collaborate within her community to use her nursing knowledge to help Indigenous peoples in Brazil. Witto is optimistic that, under Lula’s leadership, the new generation of Indigenous youth can safely express pride in their heritage and culture. Lastly, Godin’s interview with Carlos Travassos, a land defender who works with Indigenous communities, reveals the violent nature of land grabbing in Brazil. Overall, Godin’s experiences present optimism that the Brazilian Amazon will gain more protections under Lula’s presidency while stressing the urgency to stop anti-Indigenous crimes.

1 08, 2022

Recovering biodiversity in Brazil’s pioneering Atlantic Forest through conservation and ecological restoration

2025-02-14T12:57:23-05:00Tags: |

In research published by the Journal of Applied Ecology, experts from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Brazil have highlighted the importance of conservation efforts to achieve restoration goals in degraded forest landscapes. The research team collected samples and analyzed environmental characteristics and images from 65 areas of restoration in the Atlantic Forest in Paraná over 20 years. Marcia Marques, one of the women leading this research, explains that natural regeneration, which is dependent on natural processes, is more economically viable and ecologically sustainable. For that reason, restoration urgently needs to consider conservation efforts as a crucial way to safeguard species richness, biodiversity and the flow of seeds that can allow restoration areas to flourish. According to Marques, mature forests conserve ecosystem functionalities that are hard to regain simply through restoration, elucidating that restoration and conservation efforts will need to happen hand in hand to achieve ecosystem targets.

27 06, 2022

Redefining Gender In The Amazon

2023-02-01T23:05:45-05:00Tags: |

This article shares the story of Uýra Sodoma, the spirit of Indigenous trans nonbinary artist and biologist Emerson Pontes (she/they). Uýra speaks through Pontes in order to highlight the importance of protecting the Brazilian Amazon. A new documentary, Uýra: The Rising Forest, shows Emerson’s journey driving collective and educational experiences that engage communities in environmental justice activism. She has faced challenges not only from the mass deforestation of the Amazon, but also from Brazil’s homophobic and transphobic government policies. However, they have continued to use performances to bridge the movements for conservation and LGBTQ+ rights. They emphasize that the concept of the gender binary is a concept imposed by colonizers, using drag to connect with nature and the queer community. Photo Credit: Uýra: The Rising Forest    

13 01, 2022

An Amazon Defender Stands Up for Her Land and Her People

2023-04-16T15:40:20-04:00Tags: |

Juma Xipaia, an Amazon Indigenous leader, fights to protect her community and their way of life against illegal extractive activities and development projects, such as the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River. At the age of 13, Xipaia began fighting to protect her community when she saw the destruction and illness caused by similar projects in neighboring communities. Xiapaia is the Chief of her community; she faces corruption among fellow Indigenous leaders and death threats as a result of her work, all while studying to become a physician. Xiapaia stresses the importance and need for greater involvement of Indigenous Peoples at conferences such as the UN Climate Talks, where international climate negotiations occur. Photo credit: Instituto Juma

7 01, 2022

My People Have Lived In The Amazon For 6,000 Years: You Need To Listen To Us

2023-04-16T15:42:51-04:00Tags: |

Since President Jair Bolsonaro introduced policies that increased violence against Indigenous Peoples and the Amazon, Txai Suruí and her family, friends, and community have faced threats, harassment, bullying and death for protecting their territories. Suruí’s father, Chief Almir Suruí, together with Chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo people, formally requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate events in the Brazilian Amazon, demanding perpetrators be held accountable for their crimes against humanity. Suruí is also calling on the international community and the ICC to recognize the crime of ecocide. Suruí stresses she was raised to listen to the Earth and to live in harmony with the planet. She urges others to do the same — there is no time to waste. Photo credit: Gabriel Uchida

24 12, 2021

Indigenous Women Fighting For Their Land And The Survival Of The Amazon

2023-04-16T15:31:20-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous women like O-é Kaiapó Paiakan, Alessandra Korap, and Tejubi Uru eu Wau Wau are taking on leadership roles in response to the escalating threats against their land, rights, and the Amazon. The Jair Bolsonaro administration has increased industrial development and intensified the exploitation of resources in Indigenous territories. In response, Indigenous women have stepped up to protect their communities. Paiakan, for instance, became chief after her father passed away from COVID-19 in 2020. Korap has raised her voice at male-dominated tribal meetings, protests, and public meetings outside her village, despite the machismo and threats she withstands for doing so. Tejubi’s uncle was a long-time environmental defender and was among the 20 defenders killed in Brazil in 2020. She and her tribe believe the extractive industry is responsible. Tejubi has joined protests against Bolsonaro’s latest attack against Indigenous rights. Indigenous women like these three face machismo and violence in their efforts, but continue to defend their land and the Amazon. Photo credit: Lynsey Addario

9 04, 2021

‘What’s At Stake Is The Life Of Every Being’: Saving The Brazilian Cerrado

2021-04-09T13:14:50-04:00Tags: |

Indigenous communities in the Cerrado region of Brazil are organizing to raise awareness of the environmental impacts of agribusiness and deforestation on their native lands. The region is even richer in biodiversity than the Amazon, playing a critical role in global carbon sequestration. Diana Aguiar, political advisor to the National Campaign in Defense of the Cerrado, describes the devastation that has been caused in recent decades due to agribusiness and cattle ranching, compromising the headwaters of major rivers and the livelihoods of Indigenous communities. Local communities and partner NGOs are working to bring greater attention to the importance of this vast savanna and to increase pressure to protect the region as a dedicated world heritage site.  Photo Credit: Elvis Marques / CPT Nacional

3 05, 2020

Fierce Life: Maria do Socorro Silva

2023-01-25T11:40:52-05:00Tags: |

Maria do Socorro Silva is a descendant of enslaved Africans, and an Indigenous woman of the Amazon forest, in the region of Barcarena. Like her ancestors, Maria has resisted and rebelled against colonial, capitalist forces, who see the land and women’s bodies as property for the taking. Norst Hyrdo is a Norwegian company that extracts raw materials from Barcarena. High levels of aluminum, iron, copper, arsenic, mercury and lead have been found in the Murucupi River in Barcarena, contaminating the river that Indigenous communities depend on, leading to illness and death. Maria, herself fighting cancer caused by the contamination, also fights by sharing her story to young climate activists, explaining to them the connection between the health of Indigenous Peoples to the health of the environment. Like her ancestors, Maria resists and fights for the next generation. Photo credit: Liliana Merizalde/Atmos

28 04, 2019

The Amazon is a Woman

2023-01-25T12:23:37-05:00Tags: |

In Brazil, Indigenous women are fighting against the exploitation of the Amazon rainforest in more ways than one. To protect the Amazon, women are on the frontlines of marches, publicly sharing their stories, leading public meetings, physically preventing access to the forest, relearning their language and culture, teaching children how to resist and act collectively, filing lawsuits against foreign companies exploiting the Amazon, and cultivating alliances with young European activists to jointly protect the Amazon. This does not go without risk. These women withstand threats to and attempts on their lives. These Amazonian women persist because the survival of the Earth and future generations depend upon it. Photo credit: Liliana Merizalde/Atmos

13 04, 2018

Women In Brasil Defending Our Sacred Waters – Stories From The Alternative World Water Forum (FAMA)

2020-04-24T16:03:01-04:00Tags: |

At the Alternate World Water Forum (FAMA), women led the charge in speaking out against the governments, NGOs and multinational corporations that privatize and exploit everyone’s water. Alessandra Munduruku, an Indigenous warrior of the Amazonian Munduruku tribe, uplifted her community’s fight against dangerous extraction and contamination on the Tapajós River. Andreia Neiva, a Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB) militant, urged others to follow her community’s lead in battling large farming companies who are stealing and polluting water sources. In her city, Correntina, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, people are rising up against repression to occupy the industrial farms, and she hopes to see others join. Grassroots leaders from around the world shared their stories, emphasizing that just as all water is connected, these struggles are interdependent.   Photo Credit: Idle No More SFBay Blog

13 04, 2018

Women In Brasil Defending Our Sacred Waters- Stories From The Alternative World Water Forum (FAMA)

2018-08-02T15:16:41-04:00Tags: |

The author speaks about their experiences attending and speaking at the 2018 World Water Forum (FAMA) in Brazil. An event largely sponsored by Nestle and Coca-Cola, corporations pushing to privatize and control public water resources. Fearless indigenous women and activists used the event as platform to call-out and share their powerful stories of resistance. Their message to the world: water cannot be treated as a privately owned commodity; water is a human right and a common good of and for the people.  Photo Credit: Guilherme Cavalli/Cimi

28 03, 2018

Women Occupied Coca-Cola & Nestlé Factories

2018-07-13T15:50:14-04:00Tags: |

Over 600 Brazilian women activists are protesting the privatization of water by corporate entities and the federal government by occupying local Coca-Cola and Nestlé factories. As part of the Rural Landless Movement (MST), these women hope that disrupting operations will convey that “water is a right, not a claim.” Photo credit: TeleSUR English

5 03, 2018

More Than One Thousand Women Take Over Suzano Pulp And Paper Mill To Protest Genetically Engineered Trees And Eucalyptus Plantations

2018-07-13T17:01:17-04:00Tags: |

On March 5, 2018, over one thousand women from the Rural Landless Workers Movement (MST) took a stand against the creation and sale of genetically engineered (GE) trees from industrial eucalyptus plantations. Motivated by the negative impacts these plantations have on water – leading to the depletion of fresh water and the contamination of critical water reserves - these women strongly oppose the Brazilian government’s 2015 legalization of these plantations. Citing the precautionary recommendations given by the UN Convention on Biodiversity in 2008, the women of the MST and other social movements in Brazil stand firm on their stance to do everything in their power to expel GE trees from being planted on a large-scale in Brazil. Photo Credit: MST Communication

17 08, 2017

Photo Essay: Inside The Munduruku Occupation Of Sao Manoel Dam

2017-08-26T12:48:25-04:00Tags: |

Munduruku women warriors led 200 representatives of their Indigenous nation to occupy the main work camp of the Sao Manoel hydroelectric dam, under construction on the Teles Pires River in the Brazilian Amazon. This occupation paralyzed the project as the Munduruku people demanded a complete stop to the project, their right to be consulted and for the respect of their culture, spirituality and ecosystems. This beautiful, gripping photo essay of the occupation captures the powerful women warriors of Munduruku defiantly leading their community to protect the sacred. Photo credit: Caio Mota/Centro Popular do Audiovisual/Forum Teles Pires.

18 07, 2017

Indigenous Groups In Brazil Occupy Power Plant For Cultural Survival

2017-09-22T18:30:31-04:00Tags: |

Roughly 200 members of the Munduruku, an Indigenous ethnic group in Brazil, occupied the construction site of Sao Manoel Hydroelectric Power Plant, with one of their main grievances being that the company hold consultations with the group before construction resumes. Maria Leusa Kabaiwun Munduruku, a community leader, explains that the company had planned to build on sacred lands, in addition to violating human and environmental rights. Photo credit: Reuters

15 06, 2017

This Is My Land: The Indigenous Women Chiefs Protecting The Amazon

2017-10-14T16:34:20-04:00Tags: |

The Kayapo tribe in Brazil is shifting traditional gender roles with the emergence of three new female chiefs across its many communities within the Amazon rainforest. Tuire, one of the first female chiefs of the Kapran-krere village, is using her position to unite the fractured communities against outside threats. Recent legislation has reassigned land rights from the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest to the Ministry of Justice, suspected to allow for private interests to use the land for logging, mining, and cattle ranching. Tuire and other female chiefs are working to regain the rights to own and conserve their ancestral land. Photo credit: Pinar Yolacan

27 05, 2017

Remembering Jane Julia de Oliveira

2018-03-06T17:49:14-05:00Tags: |

AWID pay tribute to Jane Julia de Oliveira as part of their series that honours the memory of over 350 women human rights defenders from 80 different countries, highlighting these women in our collective memory so their struggle lives on. Jane Julia de Oliveira, from the Pará state of Brazil, was a land rights community leader, environmental defender, and president of Associaҫão dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras Rurais (Association of Rural Workers). On the 24th May 2017 she was shot dead by local police, along with a group of people on the farm where she worked. Photo credit: AWID

15 05, 2017

Women And The Right To Land: A Case Study Of Brazil

2020-09-02T22:37:55-04:00Tags: |

Ana Célia, Edite Rodrigues, and Odete Mendes are among many rural Brazilian women who are struggling to make a living off of sugarcane farming but face unhealthy working conditions and unfair wages—conditions being exacerbated by land monopolies and market speculation. In the case of women like Maria Souza and Lusiane dos Santos, these stories have repeated themselves throughout multiple generations, with mothers and daughters being forced to work in the fields to sustain their families. Despite small farmers being most responsible for food production and job creation in the countryside, they occupy less agricultural land and receive less state support than large landowners and corporations, causing food insecurity and displacement in rural communities and subjecting women workers with limited alternatives to degrading conditions. That is why leaders like Carlita da Costa, president of the Cosmópolis Rural Workers Union, is fighting for labor rights by organizing rural women and focusing on structural changes to ensure secure markets for women farmers, public resources and social services, accessible education in the countryside, and basic rights to land and food. Photo credit: Feminist Alliance for Rights

1 05, 2017

Anne Lambert’s Fight To Protect Brazilian Rainforest Biodiversity

2017-10-31T21:54:50-04:00Tags: |

Anne Lambert, founding director of the International Conservation Fund of Canada, began her passionate work for the conservation of Brazil’s tropical rain forest after several trips to the country and her encounters with Brazil’s Kayapo people. In this compelling interview, Lambert explains how the severity of the loss of biodiversity in Brazil or any region in the world ultimately affects all nations on the Earth. Photo credit: Herald News/Anne Lambert

4 04, 2017

Pernambuco Movement Aims To Strengthen Women’s Land Rights In Brazil

2017-10-20T22:58:13-04:00Tags: |

In February 2017, Espaço Feminista—a leading women’s grassroots organization in Brazil—hosted a forum in Bonito, Pernambuco, aimed at re-centering the conversation of sustainable development and land rights policy discussions back to a local level. Over half of forum participants were from grassroots women constituencies representing Indigenous, rural workers, farmers, urban, and landless groups. Espaço Feminista partnered with international land rights organizations Land Alliance and Landesa to organize the event. Organizers suggested in this blog post, published by Landesa, that the forum was a positive move forward in efforts to guarantee equal land rights for women. Photo Credit: Landesa

22 03, 2017

What’s At “Steak?” The Need For A Just And Sustainable Global Food System

2017-09-13T10:57:48-04:00Tags: |

Ashlesha Khadse, a livestock researcher at the Global Forest Coalition, analyses the rotten meat scandal by JBS, Brazil's biggest beef exporter, comparing the case to other food frauds by corporations around the world. Ashlesha highlights movements that focus on sustainable food options and cites that activism to change state policies is a tool to fight the meat industry. Photo credit: Global Forest Coalition

1 12, 2016

“Our Forest Is Shedding Tears” — A Munduruku Woman Fights For Indigenous Rights

2017-11-01T03:32:14-04:00Tags: |

Vânia Alves is an Indigenous Munduruku leader from Brazil who is fighting the construction of mega-dams. With Greenpeace Brazil, Alves traveled from her home in the Amazon rainforest to Brasília to advocate to the Brazilian government for official recognition of the Sawré Muybu Indigenous Land on the Tapajós River. The proposed dams would flood portions of the rainforest and threaten Alves' people's way of life. Photo credit: Otávio Almeda/Greenpeace

26 05, 2016

Women in the semi-arid region of Brazil

2023-11-29T17:51:45-05:00Tags: , |

Despite facing historic discrimination and lack of opportunities, women in Bahia, Brazil are working to sustain their families and communities, and assert their independence and autonomy. Women have been taking on agricultural roles, waking up early to farm and tend to their crops. This allows them to provide for their families, contribute to the “formal” economy, and ensure food security for their communities. Many are able to sell their excess product in cities, generating more income and providing non-toxic nutrition options for people in rural areas. Women all throughout Brazil are now influencing public policy to alleviate the injustices that work against women, and provide support for them to thrive.  Photo credit: Fabiano Vidal 

14 05, 2016

Mariana Da Silva Morais Of Alto Alegre On Pollution Of The Environment

2018-02-14T22:22:13-05:00Tags: |

Mariana da Silva Morais, a sixteen-year-old student from the town of Alto Alegre in Brazil’s Maranhão, shares a self-produced video story about the severe living conditions her community has had to face over the past six years, demanding that public authorities take responsibility. Mariana describes how the Tapuio River is central to her community’s culture and livelihood, but is suffering from intense pollution from a nearby dump which has taken a toll on environmental and human health. Photo credit: Comundos

24 04, 2016

Indigenous Movement Stops Construction Of Brazilian Mega-Dam

2017-07-16T14:57:09-04:00Tags: |

Maria Leusa Kaba, who received a United Nations Equator Prize for her work protecting Indigenous rights, territories and rivers, played a key role in the movement which fought against the construction of the São Luiz de Tapajós hydroelectric dam. Construction of the mega-dam has been suspended and the lands of the Munduruku Indigenous people are now protected under the Brazilian constitution. Photo credit: Amazon Watch

8 03, 2016

Iconic Activist In Rio Watches As Her Home Is Bulldozed To Make Way For The Olympics

2019-01-21T19:51:23-05:00Tags: |

Like many other Rio de Janeiro residents, Maria Da Penha’s home was demolished by bulldozers to make room for the 2016 Summer Olympic headquarters. De Penha’s home was one of the last to go, and she has been fighting to preserve the history and culture of her community and to keep the government accountable. The government displaced most of the Vila Autodromo residents with cash buyouts or the promise of new apartments, and seized the land with eminent domain. Rather than just an economic concern, de Penha sees this as an attack on fundamental human rights, and says that all citizens need to be respected. Photo Credit: Will Carless

24 02, 2016

Artist Néle Azeved’s Temporary Ice Sculptures Portray Impermanence

2023-03-19T08:06:35-04:00Tags: |

In this article, journalist Carolyn Beeler features Brazilian artist Néle Azeved from São Paulo. Azeved is famous for her large sculptures that are typically displayed publicly in cities across the world, most of which are figures made from ice that slowly melts away. Although her original pieces weren’t intended to portray themes surrounding the climate crisis, they were meant to highlight the impermanence of life and the collective anonymity this brings to the human experience. She hopes that her art will inspire people to lead better lives as they reflect on the fragility and temporary nature of all things on this planet. Photo credit: Anne Bailey/The World.

14 02, 2016

‘Little Teresa’ Helps São Paulo Women Fight Drought And Male Domination — With Rain Barrels

2018-02-14T22:26:46-05:00Tags: |

Terezinha da Silva is an active leader in her São Paulo community, helping her neighbors weather the region’s severe two-year water crisis, while empowering women to advance sustainable solutions. Terezinha has developed a low-cost rainwater harvesting barrel that helps save money and keeps water on-hand for use during times of drought shutoffs. She believes passionately in the power of women claiming their dignity and achieving economic independence, especially in a male-dominated nation that has high levels of violence against women. She has also co-founded a women’s collective called Bread and Art and local nonprofit, Movimento de Defesa do Favelado, through which she is teaching women how to build and install over 50 rain barrels in the community and advancing a new project on vertical community gardens. The community organizing effort has built awareness of water resources, put power in the hands of the community, and placed a spotlight on the lack of government accountability. Photo credit: Anne Bailey

12 01, 2016

Sonia Guajajara: Reconnecting People With The Planet

2018-01-12T15:21:46-05:00Tags: |

Sonia Guajajara of the Association of Indigenous People of Brazil (AIPB) believes that to save the Earth, the rights and solutions of Indigenous peoples must be upheld. In this interview, she explains that destruction of environmental resources is having direct and devastating impacts on Indigenous culture, survival and livelihoods. She calls for Indigenous leadership at the forefront to fix these ills, drawing attention to Indigenous cultures’ prioritization of community well-being over individual well-being, and how this is a central reason why Indigenous people have emerged as the most adept environmental protectors on a global scale. Photo Credit: Alan Azevedo/Believe.Earth

2 07, 2015

Brazilian Fisherwomen Practice Aquaculture In The Face Of Industrialization

2017-07-12T20:52:33-04:00Tags: |

Fisherwomen in Brazil's marisqueiras communities, who have harvested mollusks, crabs and shellfish for generations, are standing strong in the face of threats to their livelihoods and health caused by nearby industrial expansion. Photo credit: Zoe Sullivan

7 12, 2014

Sônia Guajajara: A Voice For Biodiversity And Indigenous Rights In Brazil

2017-12-07T18:23:51-05:00Tags: |

Sônia Guajajara, Coordinator of the National Articulation of the Indigenous People of Brazil (APIB) is helping mobilize Indigenous communities across Brazil in defense of their rights, traditional lifeways and lands. As a voice for many thousands of constituents across the country, she has gone face-to-face with Brazils most powerful politicians to expose their hypocrisy, and demand real responses to the demands of the original peoples of the land. Corporate land grabs and violation of Indigenous land rights is a core area of Sônia’s advocacy with and for her people, alongside opposition to biodiversity protection, mining, and industrial farming, amongst other concerns. Photo credit: Vinícius Borba

30 09, 2014

Women’s Movement For Access To Babassu Oil

2018-07-31T12:10:32-04:00Tags: |

The award winning short film, Brazil’s Warrior Women, tells the story of women in North Eastern Brazil and their hard battle to maintain their communities’ way of life. The coconut of the Babassu Palm Tree has been their decades-long source of livelihood; however, in recent years they have faced intimidation and threats from large-scale farmers. Babassu women have created a grassroots movement and established the ‘Free Babassu Law’ in seven states. The law gives landless coconut gatherers rights to collect from palm groves. These inspiring women are now able to plan for the long-term, diversify their business and secure their future. Photo Credit: If Not Us Then Who?

1 04, 2014

Brazil’s Fisherwomen Blighted By Industrial Pollution

2017-11-01T23:59:50-04:00Tags: |

Edinilda de Ponto dos Carvalhos, a marisqueira fisherwoman from Brazil, is one of many women severely impacted by odorless chemical released by industrial development in the Pernambuco state of Brazil. The mud mixed in oil and waste causes itching, echoes Valeria Maria de Alcántara. Due to water pollution, these women have had to take other part time jobs to sustain their families. Photo credit: Felipe Ferreira/Getty Images

13 02, 2014

Voices Of The Xingu: Antonia Melo, Amazon Warrior

2017-07-12T21:00:34-04:00Tags: |

Mother of five Antonia Melo coordinates the Movimento Xingu Vivo Para Siempre, a grassroots mobilization to oppose the construction of the Belo Monte Dam in Brazil. If completed, the project would divert the flow of one of the Amazon River’s most important tributaries and devastate thousands of acres of rainforest, displacing 20,000 people and threatening the livelihoods of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples. Melo’s tireless work to coordinate the efforts of 150 different grassroots groups has made her indispensable to the resistance for over two decades. Photo credit: Amazon Watch

1 12, 2011

Feminist Perspectives Towards Transforming Economic Power—Agroecology: Exploring Opportunities For Women’s Empowerment Based On Experiences In Brazil

2017-10-19T22:58:15-04:00Tags: |

Tying together themes of economic, gender and land justice, this report by AWID and ActionAid Brazil discusses agroecological and sustainable farming practices as a tool for strengthening women’s empowerment and feminism amongst rural women of Brazil. The voices and experiences of women farm leaders of the Women and Agroecology Project are shared. Photo credit: AWID

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