Bulldozers move in on isolated Indians' heartland
The Ayoreo-Totobiegosode Indians live in the Chaco, a vast expanse of dense, scrubby forest stretching from Paraguay to Bolivia and Argentina.
Their territory has been bought by land speculators and ranchers and is now being rapidly cleared.
Almost all Ayoreo land is now owned by private landowners, who hire work-teams to clear the forest of valuable timber and then introduce cattle. Many of these new landowners are Mennonites, but much of the Ayoreo land has now been bought up by wealthy Paraguayan and, especially, Brazilian cattle-ranching businesses.
 |
| Satellite photo reveals illegal deforestation (circled) by Brazilian ranchers inside Totobiegosode territory, Paraguay. © Survival |
The Indians are claiming title to just a fraction of their territory. Without their forest they cannot feed or support themselves, and they are also greatly concerned about their uncontacted relatives still living there.
Under Paraguayan law, this claim area should have been titled to the Indians years ago, as both Paraguayan law, and the country’s Constitution, recognize the Indians’ right to the ownership of their traditional lands.
But the powerful landowners have blocked the law at every turn, and have illegally bulldozed some of the forest already.
In the heart of the Indians’ territory is a 78,000 hectare plot owned by a Brazilian firm, Yaguarete Porá. It has already cleared a large area of forest very close to where isolated Ayoreo were recently seen.
In response to public anger it has announced plans to create a ‘nature reserve’ on its land, but actually intends to destroy around two thirds of the forest.
It is for this latest act that Yaguarete was awarded Survival’s 2010 Greenwashing Award.
With the bulldozing of this vast area of forest, the isolated Totobiegosode will have nowhere left to hide. The settled Totobiegosode are desperate to protect it.
Write a letter to the Paraguayan parliament using Survival’s online letter-writing tool.
Donate to the Ayoreo campaign (and other Survival campaigns).
Write a letter to your MP or MEP (UK).
Write to the President, your senators, congressmen or other elected officials (US).
Write to your local Paraguayan embassy (you can find their address through embassiesabroad.com)
