To ally advanced forest management technogies to traditional knowledge so that indigenous populations can live with health and dignity whilst protecting biodiversity: this was the main goal of an intercultural dialogue which occurred this week (May 31, April 1), in Brasília, during the seminar "Gestão Ambiental em Terras Indígenas" ("Environmental Management in Indigenous Lands"). Brazilian minister of the Environment Carlos Minc said, at the opening of the seminar, that bringing this knowledge together is extremely important - and that the government is the most responsible for protecting areas situated around indigenous lands.
"Modern territorial and forest management methods are also applicable to indigenous peoples. First of all, however, we must join forces to preserve areas that surround indigenous lands - because farms are getting closer and closer and often contaminate rivers, provoke an accumulation of soil in riverbeds and thus reduce their depth. We want to create conservation units surrounding these lands so as to make a kind of protective wall which diminishes these impacts."
During his speech to over 100 people - such as indigenous leaders, government technicians and NGO representatives -, Minc was applauded when he congratulated the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) for its "historic decision" on March 19 to maintain Raposa Serra do Sol indigenous reserve (in the state of Roraima) as a continuous territory. He also mentioned an article recently published in Folha de S. Paulo newspaper: according to research, Brazil is the Amazonian country which least protects its forest with indigenous reserves and conservation units. (The other Amazonian countries are Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Guyana.)
"From now on I will carry this study with me: it will help when I speak to president Lula about establishing new indigenous lands, extractivist reserves and national parks - the latter for biodiversity protection, research and ecotourism."
According to the president of the Brazilian National Indigenous Foundation (Fundação Nacional do Índio/Funai), also present at the seminar, "we must deal with the future of indigenous peoples and their lands in Brazil". He added that biodiversity is much more protected insided official indigenous lands.
To terena indian Joãozinho da Silva, a Funai manager in Campo Grande (state of Mato Grosso do Sul/MS), Limão Verde reserve in Aquidauana (MS) is a good example of this fact: the reserve suffered serious degradation before expropriation and regulation in the beginning of the 1990s. Presently, however, vegetation is almost completely restored and the reserve's indigenous population has begun to healthily expand. Terenas, guaranis and kaiowás in Jaguapiru reserve in Dourados (MS), on the other hand - pressured both by soy farms and urban expasion -, face a degradingly different situation.
Redes Sociais