Indigenous people ask for a voice and right to land at the Amazon summit

“The jungle is not an oil well, it is not a gold mine, it is our temple”, assures the Ecuadorian indigenous leader Nemo Guiquita, on the eve of a regional summit in Brazil to stop the devastation of the amazon.

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winkyleader of the organization Confeniaewhich represents 1,500 Amazonian communities in Ecuadoris one of the indigenous leaders present these days in the Brazilian city of belem to demand that the Amazonian countries guarantee their right to land and combat environmental crimes that threaten their subsistence.

The summit will bring together on Tuesday and Wednesday the eight member countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), created in 1995 to preserve the jungle: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.

Indigenous people of different ethnic groups participate in a march for land demarcation, and against violence on indigenous lands and agribusiness, today, one day before the summit of the Amazon countries, in Belém, Pará (Brazil). EFE/André Borges

“We hope that our discussions will be included in the (summit) conclusions, because if decisions are made only at the state level, our work will be in vain,” the Ecuadorian leader told AFP, after participating this weekend in the event Amazon Dialogues to discuss solutions to climate crisis.

“It is a historic moment for indigenous peoples”, he told AFP in Belém Sonia Guajajaraminister of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil, who affirms that more than 24,000 people participated in the Dialogues, double what was expected.

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Raoni: “You must hear us”

One of the main challenges of the summit will be to achieve a joint commitment to eradicate deforestationmotivated especially to allocate the land to cattle pasture, but which is also fed by the illegal mining, timber, arms and drug trafficking.

“The presidents here, and also those from abroad, must listen to us”, the emblematic cacique told AFP Raoni Metuktyrepresent in the previous debates.

“If they don’t contain the deforestationwe will have much worse problems ”, added the leader.

Considered for years the lung of the planet, the amazon According to scientists, it is heading towards a point of no return, from which point it will emit more carbon than it absorbs, aggravating global warming.

“We expect at least a commitment from the States to demarcate indigenous territories”he told AFP Toya Manchinerileader of the Coordination of the Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab).

Indigenous people of different ethnic groups participate in a march for land demarcation, and against violence on indigenous lands and agribusiness, today, one day before the summit of the Amazon countries, in Belém, Pará (Brazil). EFE/André Borges

The indigenous landswhich depending on the country have different degrees of legal protection, are considered by experts as a barrier against deforestationdue to the sustainable way in which the indigenous people exploit them.

“Our fight is not only for indigenous peoples, it is for the entire world, so that many generations can continue to survive on this planet”said nemo winky.

Guajajara recalled that the demarcation of lands is “the main demand of the indigenous peoples of all time”.

In Brazil, I only know “They demarcated 11 territories in ten years”. Under the government of Lulawhich started in January, “There were already six, with the prospect that others will be this week”he congratulated himself.

The Indigenous villages “We are not only thinking about the next four years, but about the next 40”added the minister.

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“Make peace with nature”

In addition to the fight against deforestation and the criminalitythe governments are expected to discuss strategies for the sustainable development of the region.

For the Colombian Darío Mejía, from the Zenú people and member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issuesindigenous peoples should be seen as “millennial institutions” and their traditional knowledge must be respected.

“The market has had different names: first (it was called) progress, then development, now bioeconomy or transition economy. But if the values ​​of competitiveness, of permanent war against nature, are not exceeded, It will be very difficult for us to overcome the environmental crisis”, he maintains.

As the planet experiences extreme weather events and wars, “here (the governments) are meeting to see if they find agreements to make peace with natureto. I want to hope that this is going to be an important step for everyone”he concludes.

Source: Elcomercio