Brazil uses radar to protect isolated tribes

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Brazil uses radar to protect isolated tribes
•Airborne heat sensors will pinpoint Indians at risk
• Campaigners hope move will halt Amazon slaughter

Tom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
The Guardian, Thursday November 20 2008

The Brazilian government has said it will employ heat-seeking radar in a last-ditch attempt to save the country's remaining groups of isolated Indians. The body-heat sensors will be mounted on a Brazilian air force jet normally used to monitor rainforest destruction and will be used to locate an estimated 39 groups of isolated indigenous people, hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest.

The authorities hope the system will help them to locate groups of isolated Indians to protect them from invaders such as loggers, goldminers and ranchers.

Antenor Vaz, the coordinator for isolated tribes at Brazil's National Indian Foundation, said the system would allow authorities to locate tribes without disturbing their way of life.

"We have been using planes more and more, not just to monitor but also to find new references," he said. But even the use of small planes brought disruption to the tribes because they flew at low altitude, he said.

Brazil's isolated Indians hit the headlines in May when aerial photographs of a remote tribe near the border with Peru were released. Several tribesmen could be seen firing arrows at the plane.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/20/brazil-tribes-amazon-forest

[Regret My New Name]

1. I bet those tribes are pissed

that the rest of the world is keeping Dancing With The Stars and Survivor away from them...

[JohnnyCougar]

2. LOL.

They don't know lucky they are.