In Pictures

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In Pictures: Fighting to survive when the Amazon is under attack

Why protecting indigenous rights is central in the effort to protect the vast Amazon rainforest.

This particular spot is in the area of the triple border between Colombia, Peru, and Brazil. An area with a high percentage of teenagers who are victims of human and drug trafficking due to the out o
Caballococha, a small Peruvian town on the shores of the Amazon, is one of the usual leisure destinations for coca lords and illegal loggers. Lax policing in the area and along the river give way to the sex trafficking of young people from neighbouring countries. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
By Ana Palacios
Published On 3 Dec 2019

Indigenous peoples constitute 5 percent of the world’s population, but they manage a third of the Earth’s forests and serve as caretakers for 80 percent of the biodiversity on the planet, according to the UN Food and Agricultural Organization.

For centuries, indigenous groups have protected the Amazon rainforest, the so-called “lungs of the plant”. Today, the rights of these groups are under threat by the economic interests of the extractive industries that are rapidly expanding in the region under the cover of institutional policies.

That was put into focus earlier this year as swathes of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and other South American countries, including Colombia and Peru, burned at rates not seen in years.

Many in Brazil have blamed the policies of President Jair Bolsonaro, who says opening up the Amazon is needed for economic growth. Indigenous groups in particular have decried his effort to open up their land for exploration.

In Peru, indigenous groups have continued to battle illegal loggers and miners. And in Colombia, a power vacuum left by the 2016 peace deal has led to increased deforestation.

Changes in land use, intensive agriculture, deforestation, river pollution, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and large-scale fishing are just some of the challenges indigenous groups in the region continue to face as they remain at the forefront to protect the Amazon rainforest.

This story was done with support from REPAM and CIDSE

"It is estimated that there are 102 indigenous peoples in Colombia. According to the Colombian Constitutional Court, 36 peoples are at risk of physical and cultural extinction due to direct consequenc
Maria Carlina Tez, a coordinator of the Truth Commission Macroamazonia, said armed groups forcibly recruited young people from the indigenous communities in the Amazon. 'We, as Truth Commission, are going to investigate, to investigate, all the impacts they caused in this type of population that was recruited,' Carlina told Al Jazeera. 'We, as an Amazonian macro-region, have that obligation to get that hidden truth.' [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
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“CASAI or Casa del Indio [Indian House], is a space that offers support, a waypoint. In the villages, they have only primary health care. When people need more specific treatment they come here. We ar
The Kulina, Marubos, Kanamari and Mayoruna peoples who live in the Javari Valley come to the municipality of Atalaia do Norte, in the Brazilian Amazon, for medical emergencies. At CASAI or Casa del Indio Indian House, individuals can sign up for the Brazilian healthcare system. 'We handle all the paperwork for the hospitals; and, while they wait, they also get treatment here. It is made up of four little houses where we house the various communities,' said Deocleciano Sousa Chaves Peixoto, director, Casa del Indio. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“As children, today’s young people used to climb trees to pick fruit and learn to row and remain silent while fishing in their canoes. Today, these children learn about the world through their screen
Students pose in front of a mural that recounts the history of the Tikuna clans on one of the walls of the San Francisco de Loretoyaco Indigenous Boarding School in Colombia's Amazon. 'As children, today's young people used to climb trees to pick fruit and learn to row and remain silent while fishing in their canoes. Today, these children learn about the world through their screens, just as their grandparents learned about it through travellers and fortune hunters. Today's young people dream of quality education in their schools and of having universities nearby so they won't have to migrate. These dreams harbour hope for change, and also frustration, fear-sadness due to the impoverished state of their communities. Tomorrow, today's young people will be the ones creating opportunities for a decent life in their territories,' says Maria Teresa Uruena, the coordinator of the Awareness-Raising, Education and Training Department Pan-Amazon Jesuit Service (SJPAM). [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“The world has to look after the Amazon because it is our Common Home. It has to inject money in this area in order to protect the environment. Governments have to guarantee whatever is necessary to p
'The world has to look after the Amazon because it is our Common Home. It has to inject money in this area in order to protect the environment. Governments have to guarantee whatever is necessary to protect indigenous peoples, their cultures, and their territories, biodiversity, and social diversity. If its inhabitants are lacking economic opportunities, they will continue to deteriorate the environment at the service of logging companies or drug trafficking in order to survive and avoid being forced to migrate. But if they are offered a means of subsistence, they will behave responsibly and protect the territory, respecting the rights of people and of the earth based on a world view that is inherent in their tradition,' says Edelmira Pinto, coordinator of the San Francisco de Loretoyaco Indigenous Boarding School in Puerto Narino, Colombia. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“Sexual exploitation and slave labor are two forms of human trafficking that we’ve identified in these communities in the Amazon. Trafficking networks are well aware of the vulnerable state of young p
The La Sierentia Bar in Peru is a common meeting point for those looking to buy sex or other sexual services, often from those trafficked in the Amazon. 'Sexual exploitation and slave labour are two forms of human trafficking that we've identified in these communities in the Amazon. Trafficking networks are well aware of the vulnerable state of young people in this territory. They know that many of them cannot find any other alternative in their communities and that, in the best of cases, they'll finish school only to encounter barriers to continuing their studies and direct their lives towards a long-term project. This isn't forced or obligatory recruitment, instead it is subtly disguised as a 'patronage' and dressed up as opportunities, oftentimes even with the family's consent, although the family is unaware of the full scope of what this entails. These situations are legitimised, naturalised, and excused,' says Nathalia Forero Romero. Coordinator of the Defenders of Life Network and a member of the Network to Confront Human Trafficking in the Triple Border. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“It’s entitled ‘The Jungle is Dying.’ I tried to distinguish between two spaces, the one on the right is where there''s pollution, with the chainsaw, the ax, contamination from the poisons used to kill
Santiago Yahuarcani, a painter, sculptor and leader of the Murui and Bora peoples on the Ampiyacu River in Peru, holds up a piece of his artwork. 'It's entitled 'The Jungle is Dying',' he says. 'I tried to distinguish between two spaces, the one on the right is where there's pollution, with the chainsaw, the ax, contamination from the poisons used to kill plants and insects, factories, oil companies … The cranes are falling trees, we see oil spills, garbage … All governments think of is making a profit, they think the jungle is full of money. That's why we have those things called 'dollars' or 'Washingtons'. It's a way of symbolising the indigenous struggle against the depredation perpetrated by governments.' [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
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“The indigenous traditional medicine nourish from the plants of the jungle. Mainly, we use the tobacco as a healing plant, we prepare ointments and drinks like the Anyiroba for rheumatism, Agua Florid
Mamerto Caguache, the Cocama People shaman, practices traditional medicine at the 'Maloca', the meeting point for traditional doctors. 'The indigenous traditional medicine nourish from the plants of the jungle. Mainly, we use the tobacco as a healing plant, we prepare ointments and drinks like the Anyiroba for rheumatism, Agua Florida to scare away evil spirits, Chuchuwasa for the muscles pain and Ayahuasca we use for clean the soul and you, Westerners, use it to fly away,' he says. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“Most of the 64 indigenous peoples of the Colombian Amazon are in high risk of physical and cultural extinction due to the armed conflict. The Truth Commission is to identify patterns of violence in t
Tatiana and her daughter Ana Leticia stand in the Monilla Amena community dining area in Colombia. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
The “maloca” is our healing center. Here all the sick will be cured through our sacred plants, tobacco, sweet yucca and coca. Unfortunately, among the non-indigenous population, coca is understood as
Elver Isidio Viena, captain of the Monilla Amena community in Colombia, preforms the ritual preparation of tobacco and coca. 'The 'maloca' is our healing centre. Here all the sick will be cured through our sacred plants, tobacco, sweet yucca and coca. Unfortunately, among the non-indigenous population, coca is understood as the raw material to transform it into cocaine for the international market. Working on these crops, processing or selling it is not recognised as a problem because it is a source of employment and income for the population. We have whole families that go two or three months inside the jungle to scrape the coca and that implies that they leave the house in the forest, fishing ... modifying the indigenous traditions and altering the cycles of this ecosystem,' he says. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“We use coca, sweet cassava, and tobacco to manage pain. When we feel weak or sick, we connect with God Almighty through these offerings. We invoke the spirit of God and the spirits of our ancestors s
'We use coca, sweet cassava, and tobacco to manage pain. When we feel weak or sick, we connect with God Almighty through these offerings. We invoke the spirit of God and the spirits of our ancestors so that they will show us the way, give us strength and help us get up. This is how we cope with pain and conquer it. For us, coca is a sacred plant; the use of this plant by Westerners is drug trafficking. Coca is meant to be used to work and to cure. It is not a vice. It is part of our spirituality,' says Juan Enocaisa Guidone, teacher and indigenous leader of the Murui people at the El Estrecho community on the Guepi Reservation in Peru. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
"We rarely go to the hospital because everything is in here, in nature, for fever, stomach problems ... everything is here. For example, for family planning we use avocado bush, yellow leaves, wash an
'We rarely go to the hospital because everything is in here, in nature, for fever, stomach problems ... everything is here. For example, for family planning we use avocado bush, yellow leaves, wash and cook those leaves, when it gets the red colour, you take that drink during the five or six days that you are with the period. It works. We plant to consume and also to feed the soil, which also has to eat. You have to pay a part to the ground and nature, for birds, monkeys,' says Patricia Calderon, Yukuna leader in the Monilla Amena Community in Colombia. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“The role of indigenous women is compromised because they are caught in the ambiguity of so-called ‘development.’ The struggle of indigenous women is invisibilized; it has been silenced by the conflic
'The role of indigenous women is compromised because they are caught in the ambiguity of so-called ‘development'. The struggle of indigenous women is invisible; it has been silenced by the conflict. Educational policies tend to be militaristic, focused on the world of capitalist labour and the slavery of the other (companies, NGOs, etc.). They take over young people's time and space without allowing them to quietly enjoy the rhythm of life. This produces agronomists who have no desire to try to understand the productive dynamics of indigenous peoples. It is an obsolete pedagogy that is boxed into a limited space, forgetting that the learning process for boys, girls, and teenagers is diverse and involves people of different generations,' says Anitalia Pijachi Kuyuedo, Ocaina-UItoto or Murui Indigenous Leader of the Janayari (Jaguar) Clan and a member of the Truth Commission in Leticia, Colombia. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
“For years, we have been suffering the assaults of intruders in our valley. We have been invaded by logging companies that are destroying nature, unscrupulous gold diggers, and illegal hunters who are
'For years, we have been suffering the assaults of intruders in our valley. We have been invaded by logging companies that are destroying nature, unscrupulous gold diggers, and illegal hunters who are depleting stocks. We respect the cycle of life and they don't; they're destroying everything. Oil companies have no respect for the earth, and they're polluting our rivers, thus damaging the health of its inhabitants. This is not just affecting the valley, it is affecting the entire Amazon and the planet because this is everyone's home. Bolsonaro's government is annihilating us, and that's why it's important to speak out so that people know what is happening to the indigenous peoples of Brazil and take some sort of action.' Andres Wadick, Indigenous Leader of the Mayoruna People. [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]
"Our job is to teach indigenous women about their rights, to food sovereignty, healthy food, and enjoyment of their economic, social, and cultural rights. We train them to incorporate objectives aimed
'Our job is to teach indigenous women about their rights, to food sovereignty, healthy food, and enjoyment of their economic, social, and cultural rights. We train them to incorporate objectives aimed at preserving their culture and natural resources in their projects from the perspective of integral ecology. Training these women is a way to start raising awareness among families, ensuring that indigenous families respect children's right to life,' says Fany Kuiru Castro, the coordinator for women, children, youth and family at the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC). [Ana Palacios/Al Jazeera]