Amazon Fires Induce Potential Genocide for Living in Isolation and Initial Contact

(The following statement was developed by the Land is Life Special Advisor on Isolated Peoples in along with Land is Life’s network of grassroots indigenous partners from across the Amazon.)

Facing the fiery scenario in South America, we have seen the need to express ourselves publicly and denounce the dramatic situation in which these affected groups live. We are indigenous orga- nizations, alliances and specialists working to protect PIACI (Peoples Living in Isolation or in Initial Contact Situations) living in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco.

The PIACI of these regions are under constant threat. The current fires aggravate their situation and place their physical integrity at risk. A predatory development model along with the negli- gence of the state in protecting these peoples have resulted in an increase in their socio-epide- miological vulnerability.

Peoples Living in Isolation experience vulnerability in the context that drives Western society. Among the conditions that have created this situation, we highlight the national constitutional di- mension, related to the development policies implemented in the region that are associated with autonomous and/or illegal initiatives. They are vectors that intensify the life-threatening situations experienced by these populations. Given these policies, national governments feel no need to pay special attention to PIACI.

We are publicly coming to the defense of the PIACI, and demand that the governments of , , , Ecuador, , Peru and take immediate measures to counteract the increase in fires and, in coordination, implement special protection measures for these peo- ples, respecting their self-determination and decision to continue living in isolation.

We are aware that behind the burning of the Amazon, the Chiquitanía and the Gran Chaco, there is a million-dollar market In Brazil, in which “setting fire to an area of 1,000 hectares results in a profit of around 1 million reais in the black market.”i Who pays, and how much is earned?

In collaboration, we, the indigenous organizations, the alliances and the PIACI experts present an overview of the seven countries of the and the Gran Chaco in Paraguay. We have identified 185 indications of isolated indigenous peoples in the region; of those, the existence of 66 has been confirmed. Bolivia

So far in 2019, one million hectaresii of forest have officially burned. From the end of July to Au- gust, the forest fires in the Chiquitaníaiii devastated 780,000 hectares. The most affected territories are the region of Chiquitanía and the , Chiquitano and Monkoxi territories. Dry forests have also been severely affected and have disappeared along the border with Paraguay. This area had been decreed with intangibility for isolated peoples of Ayoreo and the Guaraní territory. These areas are the last national refuges for the survival of PIACI and are increasingly threatened by agri- business and government activities.

Brazil

The Brazilian government’s answers to these problems have been completely disrespectful to the constitutional principles. For months, the president of the government, Jair Bolsonaro, has deliv- ered speeches impugning indigenous peoples and the environmental movement. He has disre- spected environmental legislation. This government is now subject to international repercussions in the face of national scandals and pressure from the G7.

In the face of these developments, a crisis cabinet was instituted, and only thereafter were initia- tives taken to address the situation, the majority through use of the military. Statements of dispute and contempt were the only two pronouncements of the president and his team to the interna- tional community, especially before civil society organized to defend the Brazilian rainforests.

Since July, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is 278% greater than during the same period in 2018; these are official numbers from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE). In Bra- zil, between August 15 and August 20 of this year, 131 indigenous lands have experiencing burning. These numbers keep increasing because every day there are new fires. This data was collected by Ananda Santa Rosa and Fabrício Amorim based on the Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS/NASA).

The most dramatic situation involves indigenous peoples in isolation. In Brazil, there are 114 in- dications of communities of peoples living in isolation, of which 28 have been confirmed by the official government agency for indigenous affairs, FUNAI. How many fled the fire? The information collected suggests that 15 fires were active in lands where there are records of isolated indigenous peoples, especially in the states of Mato Grosso, Pará, Tocantins and Rondônia. FUNAI doesn’t yet have reliable data to determine how many were affected.

Colombia

In most countries, rainforest fires result from the interests of the implemented development mod- el. The Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies of Colombia (IDEAM) re- corded 138,176 hectares deforested in the Amazon in 2018iv. Although the fire season in Colombia is usually between January and February, the accelerated deforestation by fire is now affecting the corridor between the mountain range, the Amazon and Orinoquía.

From 2016 to 2018, the Colombian Amazon lost 478,000 hectares of forest, of which 73% (348,000 hectares) corresponded to primary forest. To date in 2019, alerts indicate an additional loss of 60,600 hectares, of which 75% (45,700 hectares) was primary forest. These losses primarily impact four protected areas: the Tinigua and Sierra de la Macarena National Parks, the Nukak National Reserve, and the Chiribiquete mountain range.

The Serranía de Chiribiquete National Park—home to at least two isolated communities pending confirmation, the Carijona and Muruiv peoples—lost 2,600 hectares since the Park’s expansion in July 2018, of which 96% corresponded to primary forestvi. Despite not being directly affected by the fires, the Río Puré National Park, which contains dense tropical rainforest—and, pending con- firmation, the Yuri – Passévii isolated people—is under pressure from hydrocarbonviii exploitation and exploration, the advance of the agricultural frontierix, the development of road infrastructurex, and miningxi.

Ecuador

In Ecuador, there have been no large fires in the nation’s southern Amazon region. However, mining activities are conducted primarily in indigenous territories in Ecuador’s southern Amazon, causing a huge loss of , water pollution and the displacement of Shuar indigenous communities.

It has been observed through satellite images that in recent years, there has been an increase in rainfall and the creation of flood zones in Ecuador’s northern Amazon. In the past decades, these have been destroyed and contaminated by oil activities. The advance of the agricultural frontier and local government-driven development strategies encourages deforestation in this area. The open- ing of new roads encourages colonization and the displacement of Waorani and Kichwa indigenous communities.

The Yasuni National Park has not been affected by fire, but the exploitation of oil by new roads and platforms puts the survival of the indigenous groups living in isolation at risk, including the Tagaeiri and Taromenane.

Paraguay

In Paraguay, the agribusiness production model is primarily responsible for the large fires that con- sume the natural forests of the Gran Chaco. A fire management system that in the past was applied to natural environments in a limited manner and with less destructive impact today poses one of the greatest threats to forest life.

One million hectares of forests have disappeared in the past week, all vital areas for the iso- lated Ayoreo people in the Gran Chaco region, the second largest forest in South America after the Amazon.

Nature reserves present the few remaining shelters for the Ayoreo isolated groups, as farms steadily consume all forests based on capital production from livestock raising and exploitation of natural resources. The absence of the Paraguayan state in the management of nature reserves and in the protection of the environment and life of people living in isolated regions is proof of its lack of interest in the conservation and protection of the country’s heritage, as well as the lives of people who choose a sovereign and sustainable way of life. Peru

In Peru, most forest fires have occurred in mountainous areas (Cusco and Ayacucho). However, reported rainforest fires, though currently few, are directly linked to the PIACI territories. These are having a serious impact on the conditions of the territory and on the quality of air and natural resources. The fires are affecting the rights to life, health, and food security of the people that inhabit these lands.

One of the detected fires is located in the proposed area for the creation of the Western Divi- sor Mountain Indigenous Reserve (Ucayalí, Loreto), which ishome to officially recognized isolated peoples and which overlaps the Serra do Divisor National Park, as well as connecting with the Is- conahua Indigenous Reserve. The second fire is in the Iñapari district (Tahuamanu, Madre de Dios) near the Alto Purús National Park and the Mashco Piro and Madre de Dios territorial reserves, part of a larger PIACI displacement area known to indigenous organizations that includes the Pano-Ar- awak border region corridor (Peru, Brazil).

Although these fires are already under control—according to official information provided by the Madre de Dios and Loretoxii Regional Emergency Operations Center—the concern is compounded by the frag- ile territorial protection of these reserves and the lack of capacity for prevention. In Peru, the main terri- torial threats include the increase in deforestation and illegal activities within the forests.

It is important to note that the PIACI territories in Peru are located primarily in international bor- derland areas, especially along the border with Brazil, where the proliferation of fire sources has been recorded. For this reason, there is a chance that the fires will move towards the west in cer- tain sectors, posing a serious risk to PIACI and their territories in Peru.

Venezuela

In Venezuela, there are three groups of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation or initial contact (Hoti, Uwottuja, and Yanomami) in the Amazon region, specifically in the Amazonas and Bolivar states. The Venezuelan Amazon region covers a total of 453,950 km2 in what is also called Guay- ana, which is inhabited by more than 25 different indigenous peoples.

There are currently no reports of fires affecting areas where peoples living in isolation are located. However, in both the Amazonas and Bolivar states, government entities have developed illegal mining activities involving different actors. These include armed groups that guard the mining camps and in many cases threaten the members of the indigenous organizations that denounce the problems. In Amazonas, approximately 6,000 miners are conducting gold and coltan mining.

This situation particularly affects groups in isolation or initial contact, since these illegal activities take place in areas near their habitats, impacting their physical and cultural subsistence opportunities. Cur- rently, the Wataniba association and the Regional Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon (ORPIA) are working to increase awareness of the situation and compel the government of Venezuela to assume protection policies vis-à-vis the isolated groups and their territories. Declaration signatories

• Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana – AIDESEP (Peru) • Amazon Conservation Team Colombia – ACT (Colombia) • Central de Comunidades Indígenas Tacana II - Rio Madre de Dios – CITRMD (Bolivia) • Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica – COICA (Regional) • Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia Brasileira – COIAB (Brasil) • Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador – CONAIE (Ecuador) • Confederação das Nacionalidades Indígenas da Amazônia Equatoriana - CONFENIAE (Ecuador) • Fondo Ecuatoriano Populorum Progressio – FEPP (Ecuador) • Federación Nativa del Rio Madre de Dios y Afluentes – FENAMAD (Peru) • Grupo de Trabajo Sociambiental de la Amazonía – WATANIBA (Venezuela) • Iniciativa Amotocodie – IA (Paraguay) • Land is Life • Organización Payipie Ichadie Totobiegosode – OPIT (Peru) • Organización Regional de Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente - ORPIO (Peru) • Organización Regional de Pueblos Indígenas de Amazonas - ORPIA (Venezuela) • Organización Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonía Colombiana -OPIAC (Colômbia) • Pueblo Kichwa de Sarayaku (Ecuador) i. O negócio milionário dos incêndios na Amazônia: https://brasil.elpais.com/brasil/2019/08/27/politi- ca/1566864699_526443.html ii. https://www.hoybolivia.com/Noticia.php?IdNoticia=300903&tit=un_millon_de_hectareas_quemadas_ruben_cos- tas_dice_que_es_imperioso_aceptar_la_ayuda_internacional iii. Reporte especial de Fundación TIERRA al 22 de agosto de 2019, sobre el incendio de Chiquitania. En: https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=eGPYSW3fss iv. IDEAM. http://www.ideam.gov.co/web/sala-de-prensa/noticias/-/asset_publisher/LdWW0ECY1uxz/content/por-pri- mera-vez-en-la-ultima-decada-elgobierno-reduce-la-deforestacion-en-un-17- v. ACT y PNN. 2017. Amazon Conservation Team (ACT) y Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia (PNN). Referencias a pueblos indígenas en aislamiento y amenazas sobre su territorio en la zona de ampliación del Parque Nacional Natural Serranía de Chiribiquete. Convenio 001 de 2013 suscrito entre la DTAM y ACT Colombia. vi. Finer M, Mamani N (2019) La deforestación impacta 4 áreas protegidas en la Amazonía colombiana. MAAP: 106. vii. IDEAM. 2018. Subdirección de Ecosistemas e Información Ambiental (SEIA). Sistema de Monitoreo de Bosques y Car- bono (SMByC). Alertas Tempranas de Deforestación. Boletín 13, Cuarto Trimestre de 2017. viii. Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos ANH. Diciembre 17 de 2018. Mapa de Áreas actualizado (Mapa de Tierras) Dis- ponible http://www.anh.gov.co/Asignacion-de-areas/Paginas/Mapa-de-tierras.aspx ix. González, J., Cubillos, A., Chadid, M., Cubillos, A., Arias, M., Zúñiga, E., Joubert, F. Pérez, I. y V. Berrío. 2018. Caracteri- zación de las principales causas y agentes de deforestación a nivel nacional período 2005- 2015. Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales – IDEAM-. Ministerio de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sostenible. Programa ONU-REDD Colombia. Bogotá. En imprenta x. Botero García, Rodrigo. (2018). Frontera Agropecuaria en la Amazonía: La infraestructura de gran escala como motor de la ampliación en función de los mercados de tierras, energía y minería mundiales. Revista Semillas. Conservación y uso sostenible de la biodiversidad Derechos colectivos sobre los territorios y soberanía alimentaria N° 71/72 – Ju- nio. 2-6 pp. Disponible en: http://semillas.org.co/es/revista/frontera-agropecuaria-en-la-amazonia-lainfraestructu- ra-de-gran-escala-como-motor-de-la-ampliacin-en-funcin-de-los-mercados-2 xi. Tierra Digna – Centro de estudios para la justicia social. Áreas estratégicas mineras. ¿qué son las áreas estratégicas mineras (AEM)? Disponible en http://tierradigna.org/aem/index.html xii. Reporte Complementario N° 1763 - 14/08/2019 / COEN – INDECI y Reporte Complementario N° 1882 - 25/08/2019 / COEN - INDECI