On the front lines of Amazon fires, Manoki tribe stand firm against encroaching farmers

Record ID: 1429216

  • Title: On the front lines of Amazon fires, Manoki tribe stand firm against encroaching farmers
  • Date: 29th August 2019
  • Summary: BRASNORTE, BRAZIL (AUGUST 28, 2019) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MEMBERS OF MANOKI TRIBE WALKING IN CHARRED AREA OF AMAZON CHARRED REMAINS OF TREES CHARRED SHRUBBERY MEMBER OF MANOKI TRIBE, PAULO TUPXI, SURVEYING CHARRED REMAINS FIRE BURNING AT LOG (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) MEMBER OF MANOKI TRIBE, PAULO TUPXI, SAYING: "I'm very sad today because of the fires. 40 years from now the white man is going to be fighting for water because they don't look after it." CHARRED REMAINS OF TREES BIRDS FLYING ABOVE CHARRED REMAINS OF AMAZON TRIBE MEMBERS WALKING THROUGH CHARRED REMAINS OF AMAZON VARIOUS OF TRIBE MEMBERS IN AMAZON (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) MEMBER OF MANOKI TRIBE, GIOVANI TAPURA, SAYING: "I'm very worried about us. This land is of the Manoki, for all my life, that of my parents, my grandparents I saw them asserting ownership of this land. And today here I am today, 38 (doing the same thing), and there's no response, no one responsible (for the fires)." VARIOUS OF CHARRED REMAINS OF TREES TRIBE MEMBERS SURVEYING DAMAGE
  • Embargoed: 12th September 2019 02:38
  • Keywords: Manoki tribe farmers Amazon reserve indigenous Brasnote Brazil
  • Location: BRASNORTE, BRAZIL
  • City: BRASNORTE, BRAZIL
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Fires,Editors' Choice
  • Reuters ID: LVA001AU4WQ4N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The Manoki tribe surveys the charred remains of their sacred land in the Amazon, telling Reuters that Brazil's "white man" will be left fighting for water if the destruction of the world's largest rainforest is not stopped.
    The Manoki have a population of about 500 across eight villages in the Amazon, many of which have been awarded special status because of its ties to this tribe.
    But the Manoki says its future is at risk, blaming farmers clearing land for pasture for the uptick in fires.
    The number of blazes in Brazil has skyrocketed 80% in the year to date compared to the same period in 2018, according to data from space research agency INPE.
    Critics say farmers have been emboldened by comments from President Jair Bolsonaro to open up the Amazon region to more agriculture and mining, even on indigenous reservations that are seen as the most protected parts of the rainforest.
    The warning from the Manoki is stark, saying the consequences of the Amazon's fall will be felt far and wide. Increases in deforestation could affect the water cycle on a regional and global scale. A smaller Amazon would reduce the absorption of global greenhouse gasses.
    Bolsonaro is finding himself increasingly isolated on the global stage over his response to the blazes, which threaten what many view as a key bulwark against global climate change.
    (Production: Herbert Villarraga)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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