Perspective: Indigenous People

(SI 2013)

The Amazon is home to 350 different ethnic peoples, around 60 of these groups are still uncontacted meaning they have never had contact with those from the outside world (WWF 2013). However, indigenous people who live in Brazil's Amazon often do not own their land and even when they do own their land they are continually exposed to violence as farmers and industrial projects approach on their territory (SI 2013). In these cases they are often attacked and killed or become ill due to diseases they have never been exposed to before (SI 2013). In addition they suffer from starvation as their native plants are burned and their hunting grounds are eliminated (SI 2013). Nearby industries who enter and grow in the forest using slash and burn can affect indigenous peoples. In many cases pesticides used on farms can infect rivers, which villagers use for drinking and bathing (RAN 2013).

In order to survive some indigenous people practice small-scale slash and burn known as swidden agriculture (Leahy 2012).  However, slash and burn practices are often illegal (Leahy 2012). For a group of indigenous people in Brazil this ban has greatly affected their access to food and has stopped them from using their traditional way of farming. Eventually, scientist did a carbon count of their land, proving that their land soaked up 75,000 tonnes of carbon, while burning only released 400 or 500 tonnes; this showed that unlike subsistence farmers, who caused large amounts of air pollution, they hardly cause any. (Leahy 2012)

Unsustainable slash and burn practices not only encroaches on the land of indigenous people, but greatly affects their lives and their culture.

Leahy S. (2012) Traditional Slash and Burn Agriculture Sustainable Solution to Climate Change. newswatch.nationalgeographic.com. National Geographic (Date Accessed: May 20, 2013.) 

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/04/13/traditional-slash-and-burn-agriculture-sustainable-solution-to-climate-change/ 


(SI) Survival International. Brazilian Indians. Survivalinternation.org. Survival for Tribes People. (Date Accessed: May 20, 2013.)  http://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/brazilian

(RAN) Rainforest Action Network. (2011) What is Agribusiness ?. Ran.org. Rainforest Action Network. (Date Accessed: May 12, 2013) http://ran.org/what-agribusiness .

(WWF) World Wildlife Fund. About the Amazon. Wwf.panda.org. (Date Accessed: May 13, 2013.)

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/where_we_work/amazon/about_the_amazon