Lula Inácio Lula da Silva received overwhelming support in many communities as the country moved past the Bolsonaro era. A geographer and activist, Aiala Colares, described the moment as a plea for help rather than a trick. Lula had just addressed the 52nd General Assembly of the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, gathered in the state of Roraima, where indigenous leaders voiced urgent demands. He pledged that lands under threat would be protected and miners would be kept away. Such a promise was unprecedented for a president speaking before 2,500 representatives from nine groups, including the Yanomami, Macuxi, and Wapichana. Roraima is rich in gold, and Lula stated that natural resources belong to the community and that access should require local consent.
Maria Betânia Mota, a Macuxi leader, urged leaders to honor commitments and pressed for compensation for communities harmed by mining incursions. Davi Kopenawa, a shaman and spokesperson for the Yanomami, recalled harsh memories from the past and warned that mining is destroying livelihoods. He noted that more than 20,000 garimpeiros had entered the area, complicating life for indigenous women and their families as sickness and hunger spread. A government operation known as Liberation began, aiming to restore control over the territory, though progress could take time. Kopenawa warned that miners could still be hiding near the communities, especially after Lula’s arrival on Raposa Serra do Sol.
The author visited Roraima in January to join efforts with the Yanomami and returned to meet with leaders at Raposa Serra do Sol, reaffirming a pledge to safeguard the environment and Indigenous peoples.
— public statements by Lula and regional voices emphasize a clear commitment to protective action and indigenous rights across the region.
narcoecology
Raposa Serra do Sol, a Yanomami land, was delimited in 2005 during Lula’s first term. The president acknowledged that the community had suffered. In January, the government declared a public health emergency in Yanomami territory because of rising malaria and diseases tied to malnutrition, including diarrhea, pneumonia, and respiratory infections, hitting the youngest hardest. The goal was to expand health infrastructure, promising field hospitals and broader preventive care. Kopenawa urged faster action to save children, noting ongoing malnutrition around mining sites where illegal activity had proliferated.
Experts argue that mining expansion, driven by the frontier economy, contributed to the disruption of original communities, with possible collusion between state actors and garimpeiros. Mercury contamination affected rivers and fishing, undermining livelihoods. The term narcoecology emerges to describe the link between gold mining, timber smuggling, manganese extraction, and biopiracy. Some observers flag that changes in policy and leadership have influenced the pace of protection and enforcement.
Despite setbacks, climate change impacts and gaps in public policy remain prominent. There is a widely shared belief that intervention is needed and that reforms will change the current situation.
— regional voices highlight the urgency of safeguarding ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.
emergency borders
For years, the absence of clear indigenous land demarcations and ongoing mining pressures shaped political debates. Indigenous affairs leaders emphasized that proper borders are foundational to protecting women and families who rely on these lands. Expedited processes affecting other ethnic groups were urged, with calls to curb fraud in land documentation and to ensure real territorial protection.
Indigenous communities do not want enforcement to focus on garimpeiros alone. They demand that lands stop being crowded by agricultural settlers, particularly those cultivating soy. Leaders stressed the need to balance climate responsibility with community welfare, arguing that neglect could threaten both people and the environments they inhabit. Views on hydroelectric development in the Amazon remain mixed, reflecting a broader tension between development and conservation.