Young People to 'Fight to the Death' for the Amazon Rainforest

[Judi Lynn]

By Staff ReporterMar 08, 2020 01:16 AM EST

Deforestation has become worse in the Amazon. The area lost last January is double the size of the land lost in January last year. Last year, a disastrous dry season caused fires that destroyed huge swathes of rainforest, one of the most significant carbon stores that can slow the pace of climate change. Wildlife and trees were killed in alarming numbers.

A fight to the death

Fourteen-year old Maristela Clediane Uapa Arara is an indigenous member of the group known as Arara-Karo. It is one of the roughly 900,000 groups living in the Amazon for millennia. Their lands are specially protected, but are now being threatened by miners and loggers.

Maristela is worried. Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, wants to scrap the indigenous peoples' cultural and special land rights. Bolsonaro promised that the indigenous peoples will be "integrated" to Brazil's main population, while he opens parts of their land to mining and agriculture.

Maristela says the president hates the indigenous peoples. She is really proud to be indigenous and believes it is the women's role to fight for their land. Juliana Tuiti Arara, 22 years old and cousin to Maristela, adds another concern, which is her fellow peoples and relatives who are also attacking the forest, cooperating with the loggers and miners. Both girls state their determination has been strengthened to protect their land. To the death.

More:
https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/43471/20200308/amazon-rainforest.htm

[Duppers]

1. Tragic and sad...

Beyond words.


Received a mailer a few days ago from Nature Conservancy, an org who are supporting the Brazilian indigenous people - will donate again.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/latin-america/brazil/stories-in-brazil/partnering-with-indigenous-peoples/