The Deni Indian community, located 1000 kilometers Southwest of
Manaus in the heart of the Amazon, will begin to physically cut a
border in the Amazon to demarcate their lands in a bid to protect
their traditional territory from land grabs by logging companies.
Without this demarcation approximately 4 million acres would be
vulnerable to logging interests.
“We have been waiting almost 15 years for the Brazilian
government to protect our traditional lands by demarcation. Our
people have lived with the threat that logging companies were
planning to destroy our home lands,” said Deni chief Haku
Varashadeni. “We have no choice but to carry out the demarcation
ourselves. We call on the Brazilian government to recognize this
demarcation and ensure that the there is no further threat to our
land or people.”
The Deni were first informed that half of the their lands had
been purchased by Malaysian logging giant WTK in May 1999 when a
Greenpeace expedition went to the area to investigate illegal
logging activities in the region. The Deni people were unaware of
this sale and the plans to log their land. At this point the Deni
asked Greenpeace to help them with the demarcation process.
Greenpeace brought in CIMI, a branch of the Catholic church, and
OPAN, an organisation working with Indians organisations, to assist
the Deni in the process. In discussions with Greenpeace, WTK has
stated that it will not challenge the demarcation. Once demarcation
is recognized by the government, permits for logging and other
destructive industrial activities cannot be issued for these
lands.
Bryan Blondeau, a Seattle native, is among an international team
of Greenpeace volunteers who will provide logistical support to a
group of Brazilian experts and the Deni people over the next two
months to demarcate their lands. He will be filing regular reports
to Greenpeace’s website (www.greenpeaceusa.org), and doing
interviews from the jungle, to make it known that the Brazilian
Government must support this process for the Deni lands to be
protected.
“The Brazilian Government committed to fully demarcating all
Indian lands by 1993 and they have not done the job. The Deni have
taken the protection of their lands into their own hands but they
need government support to ensure full legal recognition,” said
Greenpeace volunteer Bryan Blondeau in Manaus.
This project is part of Greenpeace’s campaign to protect the
world’s remaining ancient forests. Some 80% of the world’s ancient
forests have already been degraded or destroyed, and only 20%
remain intact. Time is running out for the last 20% unless
governments around the world take swift action to ensure their
future.
