Brazil+Protects+Tribe+from+Loggers

Brazil Protects Indigenous Tribe from Loggers Sydney Morning Herald Accessed on 5/24/18 [|Brazil backing tribe from loggers]

(This picture is from the article) Brazil has decided to provide armed back up to protect its indigenous people of the Guajajara tribe from illegal loggers. Brazil acted to help after a group from the indigenous tribe, self proclaimed 'Guardians of the Amazon', burned a logging group's truck. The Ibama, Brazil's environmental protection agency, with environmental military police came to their help. This comes from South America, where there are a lot of deadly land clashes, between protected indigenous culture and economic development. An example is the Awa tribe, who has nowhere to fallback on if their forest is cut down. Currently, the government is struggling to protect various lands with lowered funding and pressure to open indigenous reserves for mining. Unaltered forest land is needed by Brazil's tribes, as they depend on animals and food in the forest. They are also threatened by diseases they have not built an immunity to from outsiders. Guardians of the forest have also been killed from loggers, face death threats, and arson attacks.
 * Summery **

This article is related to the chapter on deforestation (particularly the rainforest) and the indigenous people harmed by it. Rain forests are a abundant source of various resources that is cut down, causing all kinds of harmful effects from motivations such as logging, mining, and farming (655-657). One such issue is cultural extinction, a real life example seen in the article that has recent action taken to stop logging in a culturally important area. Tribal people get most of their food from hunting and gathering, trapping, and sustainable slash and burn cultivation. However, loggers are one such economic development that pushes the indigenous people out by taking the resources they depend on. In the textbook, tribes in Brazil like the Guajajara tribe struggle to protect their land, suffering from invaders and diseases that kill them. While this article doesn't mention the full impact of the loggers, it is noted in the textbook that large amounts of land is cleared, polluting streams and poisoning the land and living creatures around them with mercury (used in mining to extract gold). Rain forests are home to 50-90% earth's terrestrial species that are still unknown and unnamed. Removing parts of the rain forest will cause massive extinction. Much of tribes noted in the textbook has not been protected enough by the government. Only recently like the tribe in the article has Brazil had more recent efforts towards protecting the tribe's land (653-654). Rain forest land occupied by tribes are important in terms of cultural diversity, biodiversity, and ecological integrity that are used sustainably by indigenous people. (655)
 * How the article relates to the course **.

I think Brazil deciding to help protect indigenous groups is a good thing, as some land should be set aside for cultural importance and livelihood of their tribes. Brazil has had a rampant issue with not just loggers but also farmers and miners cutting down forests without permission. Anyone who claims such gets officials who turn the other way from bribes, threatened, and/or killed by loggers. Brazil taking a stance on the matter to not just let the harmed fend for themselves also a step in the right direction. However, I feel that more than just military action will be needed, as it is also crucial to also implement laws as well as effective punishments to properly deter illegal deforestation. Harmful actions such as using mercury to extract gold from ores (from cleared rain forest land) is still being carried out, mostly due to lack of funding, personnel, and focus on rain forest protection.
 * Your opinion **


 * Environmental law **
 * Wilderness Act of 1964 ** (p. 615) - Authorized the government to protect undeveloped tracts of public land as part of the National Wilderness System unless Congress later decides they are needed for the national good. Land in this system is to be used only for nondestructive forms of recreation such as hiking and camping. Like the US, Brazil also has protected lands where activities, such as logging, is not allowed. Forests are being cleared despite not having the all clear from the government. Brazil has been pressured to allow logging and mining, but not yet made a decision, and as such current logging action in the protected Guajajara tribe land (and other tribes) is against the law.