June 2005 | Don’t Get Mad, Get Active
Brazilian Co-op Wins a Round, Braces for the Next
On May 5, after 14 years of struggle, the Amazoncoop has secured protection of the land of the Parakana Indians deep inside the rainforests of Brazil. Rapid expansion of soybean plantations in the Amazon has increased the pressure on Indian reserves by land speculators. The larger challenge of securing the future of the entire reserve in which the Parakana and other indigenous peoples reside still remains.
The Amazoncoop (www.amazoncoop.org) is one of several grass-roots initiatives working to preserve the forest. Formed by eight tribes, its reserves are larger than the size of New Jersey. The co-op has developed a number of small-scale business activities including a Brazil nut factory and an Internet service, which generates part of the income needed to fund health and education.
Its Green Pharmacy project produces over 60 percent of all the medication used by the tribes. Plants are cultivated on the co-op’s medicinal plant farm and the products given to the tribes at no cost.
Because of the lack of support of the Brazilian government, the Indians have relied on donations to fund the legal costs of obtaining rights to their land.
The Amazon is the largest remaining rainforest in the world. It is home to more than 50 percent of the world’s plant and animal species and contains the largest source of fresh water in the world. The Amazon is generally regarded as the last frontier, where many Indian tribes live and some still remain isolated.
The current government model for the economic development of the Amazon places Indian tribes and the pristine forest in direct conflict with cattle ranching, logging, soybean farming, mining and exploration for oil. Such development is not sustainable, has had a devastating impact on tribal life and is a significant contributor to climate change. At the current rate of destruction, it is estimated that most of the rainforest will disappear within the next 25 years.
Evergreen Monthly is supporting the Amazon Rainforest Foundation with an appeal to our readers to help raise urgently needed funds. To find out more and to donate to this cause visit www.amazonfoundation.org
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