Archive · 24 Jul 2025
Tracking Elusive Amazon Group to Protect Their Land
Deep in the Brazilian Amazon, there might be people who have never met anyone outside their community.
We know they're there because of things they left behind, like pots and turtle shells.
These people live in a big area, similar in size to a city.
The government is trying to protect their home from people who want to cut down the trees or take the land.
The government needs more proof that these people exist to keep their land safe.
Some people in neighboring tribes have seen them and know they are there.
These uncontacted people are at risk of diseases and need to be protected along with their forest.
Archaeological finds and accounts from neighboring Indigenous communities suggest the existence of uncontacted people in the Ituna/Itata region of Brazil.
The Ituna/Itata region, similar in size to Sao Paulo, has provisional protected status to prevent invasions by miners, loggers, and ranchers.
Under former President Bolsonaro, the area's protection was suspended, leading to significant deforestation.
The government's Funai needs to provide undeniable proof for permanent protection.
Brazil recognizes 114 uncontacted Indigenous groups, with about a quarter confirmed and the rest with strong evidence.
- Who
- An uncontacted Indigenous community and the Brazilian government.
- What
- Efforts to protect an uncontacted Indigenous group in the Ituna/Itata region of the Brazilian Amazon.
- When
- Archaeological finds date back to at least 2009; the area experienced deforestation from 2019 to 2022.
- Where
- Ituna/Itata region in Brazil's northern Para state.
- Why
- To preserve the forest and protect the uncontacted Indigenous group from external threats.
Advocates for Permanent Protection
Governmental & Economic Interests
Proof of Existence
Advocates for Permanent Protection
Permanent protection is needed to prevent further deforestation and protect the uncontacted Indigenous group.
Governmental & Economic Interests
The government may not have sufficient proof of the group's existence for permanent protection.
Land Use Priorities
Advocates for Permanent Protection
Indigenous territories are key to forest preservation.
Governmental & Economic Interests
Focus on economic development and agro-industry may take precedence over environmental protection.
- Location
- Ituna/Itata region, Brazil
- Area Size
- Similar to Sao Paulo
- Uncontacted Groups in Brazil
- 114
- Confirmed Uncontacted Groups
- About a quarter
- Former President
- Jair Bolsonaro
- Current President
- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva