Indigenous communities across Brazil have suffered a wave of violence in recent weeks as the country reconsiders a controversial law that makes it harder to claim ancestral territory. The Supreme Court is studying a law that only recognizes territorial rights for Indigenous people if they occupied the land after a certain date. But critics say it delegitimizes many land claims and fuels conflicts with farmers, ranchers and private developers who see an opportunity to expand. “The right to traditionally occupied territory is an original right secured by the 1988 federal constitution and cannot be negotiated,” Kleber Karipuna, executive director of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), said in a statement. “We need to guarantee that Indigenous lands are demarcated and protected in order to combat climate change.” The debate has focused on a provision in the law that only recognizes Indigenous land if it was occupied as of October 5, 1988, when the country’s current constitution was ratified. But many Indigenous communities were forcibly displaced from their land before that date and didn’t always have the legal means to appeal, according to Funai, Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency. The conciliation meeting on the time frame law this month. Photo by Gustavo Moreno/STF The law leaves approximately 14% of Brazilian territory vulnerable to development, according to APIB estimates. Currently, there are more than 500 requests for regularization of Indigenous lands. Across the globe, Indigenous people are believed to protect 80% of all biodiversity, making the law an environmental concern in addition to…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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