Uncontacted Amazon tribe has been threatened by illegal
loggers
Remarkable close-up footage that appears to show an
uncontacted tribesman in the Amazon rainforest has been
released by an indigenous media group that wants to raise
awareness of the threat posed by illegal loggers, miners and
drug traffickers.
(...) The Awá have been described as the world’s most
threatened tribe by the NGO Survival International, which has
tracked killings by loggers, who surround and frequently
encroach upon the group’s territory.
Many of the community have been forced to abandon
the forest, but some remain in self-imposed isolation. Their
existence has been called into question by commercial interests
that want to move into the land, but the new footage has been
cited as proof that they remain in the territory.
It was recorded by a member of a neighbouring tribe,
the Guajajara, which is trying to defend one of the last pockets
of intact forest in Maranhão, a massively deforested state in the
north-east of Brazil.
―We hope this film produces something positive.
We
hope it makes an impact around the world to help protect our
people and our forest,‖ said Flay Guajajara, who shot the image
while out hunting and released it through the Mídia
Índia platform.
(...) Olimpio Guajajara, coordinator of the Guardians of
the Amazon, said three of the group’s members have been
murdered in this activity, which highlighted the need for more
long-term support. He said: ―We Guardians are defending our
people’s rights, defending the uncontacted Indians, and
defending nature for all of us. We need the land to be protected
for good."
Indigenous groups say successive governments have
failed to adequately recognise their territorial rights and their
role in protecting forests that are globally essential for carbon
sequestration and natural habitats.
According to Survival International, loggers have been
emboldened by the government and their camps can now be
seen on the edge of Awá land.
Director Stephen Corry said: ―This video is further
proof that the uncontacted Awá people really exist. And a
glance at a satellite photo shows just how much danger they’re
in. Loggers have already killed many of their relatives and
forced others out of the forest".
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/22/uncontactedtribe-video-amazon-rainforest-awa-people.
According to the NGO Survival International, it is
INCORRECT
to affirm:
