RFUS Joins Indigenous Leaders to Address Climate Challenges and Community Rights in Roraima, Brazil
We have expanded our programming in Brazil to focus on territorial defense, Indigenous governance, and territorial control through community-led forest patrolling. Learn more about our recent visit to Brazil, where we strengthened ties with partners in Roraima, including the Indigenous Council of Roraima’s (CIR), Hutukara – Yanomami Association, Seduume, and Wai-Wai organizations.
Yanomami Crisis Continues: Mismanagement and Security Failures Undermine Brazil’s Efforts to Combat Health Emergency
A year after declaring a public health emergency in the Yanomami territory in Roraima, Brazil, the world is once again shocked by images of Yanomami children in states of severe malnutrition. 308 deaths were recorded in Yanomami territory in 2023. The main causes of death include pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and malnutrition.
Brazil Amazon Fires: 26 Million Acres Scorched in 2023, Up 35.4% from Previous Year
A staggering 26.4 million acres of Brazil’s Amazon were scorched in 2023, a 35.4% increase from the previous year. Deforestation from agriculture and cattle-ranching is a main driver of forest fires in the Amazon.
RFUS and the Indigenous Council of Roraima Unite to Strengthen Community Governance in Brazil’s Northern Amazon
Rainforest Foundation US held a joint workshop in partnership with the Roraima Indigenous Council (CIR) focused on integrating CIR’s diverse departments, and promoting strengthened governance and collaboration. RFUS and CIR’s partnership spans 20 years, demonstrating a deep commitment to Indigenous sovereignty and forest protection.
“The River is Gone” Communities in the Amazon Struggle Through Worst Drought in Recent History
A severe drought in the Amazon is disrupting transportation, isolating communities, and putting wildlife at risk for survival. Indigenous peoples in the region are urging their governments to declare a climate emergency.
The Future is Female, and Indigenous
The III Indigenous Women’s March, held from September 11-14 in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, brought together over 6,000 female leaders from various Indigenous communities worldwide. A delegation of women from Roraima highlighted how far women in Brazil were willing to travel to have their voices heard in the rallying cry in defense of their lands and cultures. Read our full account of the events.
Brazil’s Supreme Court Votes in Favor of Indigenous Rights in Landmark Trial
Brazil’s Supreme Court reached a majority decision to reject Marco Temporal, a pernicious legal argument that translates as a “Time Limit” on Indigenous peoples’ land rights. As the results were announced, Indigenous communities around Brazil erupted into celebration, filling the central plazas of state capitals with music and dancing.
Indigenous Leader joins RFUS’s Executive Director to condemn time limit on land rights in Brazil
Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court is poised to make a critical decision on the Marco Temporal, a legal argument with profound implications for the land rights of Indigenous peoples. Dinamam Tuxá, the Executive Coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), and Suzanne Pelletier, the Executive Director of Rainforest Foundation US, condemn this “time limit” on land rights in an op-ed featured on Mongabay.
Amazon Summit Falls Short: Leaders Must Dig Deeper and Assume Deforestation Commitments
The final declaration of the Amazon Summit, referred to as the Belém Declaration, has fallen short of expectations for collectively implementing crucial measures to protect the Amazon rainforest, its peoples, and the global climate. It notably lacks a commitment towards zero deforestation by 2030 and fails to address halting oil exploration in the region. Read our full statement.
Attack in Yanomami Community Kills Child and Injures Five More in Brazil
Five Yanomami Indigenous people, including two children, were injured in a shooting in Yanomami territory, in Roraima, Brazil, on Monday, July 3rd. It is not new that illegal mining has ravaged Indigenous lands, with more than 20,000 invaders in the Yanomami territory alone, destroying forests, bringing disease, sexual exploitation, and death.
