One of the planet’s largest biomes is under threat. Not only from fire – which this year destroyed almost 25,000 km² of the Amazon – but also from the deployment of a development logic that threatens the fauna, the flora and, above all, those who live in the region. The effect of environment agency budget cuts as well as the discourse of President Jair Bolsonaro stating that the Amazon region needs to be exploited are already producing negative results: recent data released by the National Space Research Institute reveal that deforestation in the Amazon increased over the last year – the area devastated between August 2018 and July 2019 was 9,762 km² - the largest in the last 11 years. Making a comparison, in just 12 months the Amazon has lost an area of forest larger than the entire Basque Country. Changes in landholding legislation may lead to increased land grabbing and even more deforestation in the region. It is important remember that the devastation of the Amazon is also underpinned by the interests of international capital - including companies from Europe and the United States.

In an attempt to justify the alarming numbers, President Bolsonaro stated that deforestation and forest burning are “cultural” practices. The experience of various groups in the region refutes this statement and shows that the form of development called for by the peoples of the Amazon is not the same as that defended by large corporations, deforesters, mining companies and agribusiness.

Find out why defending the traditional territories of the Amazon communities is the best way to save the forest – and the lives of the people who live there: here