Brazilian Decree Seen as Damaging to Indigenous Land Rights
Source: Reuters
January 19, 2017 9:06 PM
Reuters
RIO DE JANEIRO —
Brazil has announced changes to the procedure for demarcating indigenous lands in a move campaign groups fear will weaken the land rights of communities facing mounting pressure from illegal logging and big agricultural operations.
Under the decree, demarcation of indigenous lands will be decided by the Ministry of Justice rather than the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), a government body set up to carry out policies relating to Brazil's 900,000 indigenous people.
Supporters of the decree, which was published in the government's Official Gazette on Wednesday, said the change would improve agricultural investment in rural areas of the recession-hit nation by better safeguarding land investments.
Activists, however, said the change weakened the land rights of indigenous people to benefit large landowners in Brazil, the world's top exporter of soy, coffee, sugar and tobacco.
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