Host Organisation

Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM)

Description

Indigenous Peoples are a key group in promoting climate resilience. Their intrinsic connection to their surroundings is essential in keeping a balanced climate. In the Brazilian Amazon, the average temperature within Indigenous Territories is 2°C lower than in non-protected areas, and this gap can reach 5°C in the Cerrado-Amazon zone. Besides, most of Brazil’s commodities depend on rainwater, which makes them directly dependent on Indigenous collective territories since these areas’ evapotranspiration rate is three times bigger when compared with pasture and monoculture ones.

Undoubtedly, there is a strong correlation between the benefits provided by Indigenous Peoples and their Territories to agribusiness. Nonetheless, the opposite is not valid. Historically, the Indigenous Lands have had one of the lowest deforestation rates (2%). However, in recent years, illegal activities have boosted forest loss, which increased 167% the deforestation rate inside the Indigenous territories, jeopardizing Indigenous lives and climate justice.

Indigenous representatives urge to establish an open dialogue with the agribusiness sector to change this scenario and foster climate resilience. In this panel, Indigenous and non-Indigenous science go hand in hand to prove that Indigenous rights are everybody’s right. Eliane Xunakalo belongs to the Kurâ Bakairi people, from Mato Grosso state. As a lawyer and the president of the Indigenous Peoples Federation of her state (FEPOIMT), Eliane will present the strategies the Federation has been using to safeguard their ancestral rights, combining geo-technology with an Indigenous traditional knowledge system. By her side, the CEO of the Produce, Conserve and Include Institute (PCI), Richard Smith, will bring insights into how agriculture production can align its goals with climate justice. Finally, Martha Fellows and Ludmila Rattis, both researchers from the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM), will provide evidence of the positive influence of Indigenous Peoples on climate resilience.

Speakers

Martha Fellows – Researcher at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM)

Ludmila Rattis - Researcher at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (IPAM)

– CEO of Produce, Conserve and Include Institute (PCI)

Languages

Portuguese