Demarcated indigenous lands occupy 10% of the country, and new homologations raise the proportion to 13.8%

The 417 indigenous lands effectively homologated and regularized in the registry office total 90.6 million hectares, as recorded in the public database of Funai (Fundação Nacional do Índio). This is equivalent to 10.6% of the Brazilian territory. The inclusion of territories with constituted processes awaiting demarcation raises this proportion to 13.8% of the country’s land.

The Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government has paralyzed new demarcations, both in cases where there is already a process under analysis at Funai and in situations where there is only one claim by indigenous peoples.

Data from ISA (Instituto Socioambiental) show that the vast majority of these lands are in the Amazon. Across the country, indigenous territories –already homologated or in the process of being homologated– add up to 117.3 million hectares, or 13.8% of the country’s land. In the Amazon, there are 115.3 million hectares, or 13.5% of the country.

Historically, indigenous lands are the main strongholds for the preservation of the Amazon, including in the years of the Bolsonaro government, when the pressure of deforestation, fire and land grabbing in these territories increased.

The North region has the lowest population density in the country. According to data from the 2010 Census, from the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), this rate is 4.12 inhabitants per km.^two. In Amazonas, the index is 2.23. In Roraima, 2.01. For comparison purposes, the population density in the Southeast region is 86.92 inhabitants per km^two. Nationwide, 22.43.

The same Census shows that, in 2010, Brazil had 897 thousand indigenous people, or 0.5% of the population. Just over half, 517,000, lived on indigenous lands. Almost half of these indigenous villagers lived in the North region.

ISA calculates that, over the years, the number of indigenous people living in traditional territories has increased. In 2018, there were 700,000 people, according to ISA.

Demands for regularization of traditional territories continue to grow. According to Funai itself, there are 235 indigenous lands under study and regularization by the agency. No process walked in the Bolsonaro government until the final approval.

The demand for demarcation includes another 598 territories, without any action by Funai, according to a survey by Cimi (Indigenist Missionary Council).

The diversity of ethnicities and languages ​​is a characteristic of indigenous populations in Brazil. The 2010 Census recorded 305 ethnicities and 274 indigenous languages.

Brazil is still the country with the highest number of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation in South America, according to the MPF (Federal Public Ministry).

Funai recognizes the existence of 114 records of isolated indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon. These are peoples who live without frequent contact – or no contact at all – with other indigenous and non-indigenous people.

The account does not include peoples of recent contact, for which there are specific actions developed in 19 territories.

The Brazilian State’s policy is not to interfere in the way of life of indigenous people who prefer isolation in the face of the history of attacks and threats. In the Bolsonaro government, this policy came to be questioned with practical measures, such as the damming of ordinances restricting the use of territories without demarcation inhabited by isolated indigenous people.

“The expiry of these ordinances [de restrição de uso] equivalent to opening these territories to all sorts of occupations, such as loggers, prospectors, land grabbing, re-editing past experiences of approximations that resulted in the genocide of many indigenous peoples”, said, in a technical note in 2021, the Chamber of Indigenous Populations of the PGR ( Attorney General’s Office).

Data compiled by ISA show that records of isolated indigenous peoples are distributed over 86 territories, 54 of which are indigenous lands, 24 conservation units and eight unprotected areas.

Of the 54 indigenous lands, ten have not yet had their demarcation processes completed. In this account of territories without approval are areas with restricted use determined by Funai, in an attempt to protect isolated peoples.

According to ISA, there are 56 infrastructure projects that put pressure on 50 territories with the presence of isolated people. These are highways, railways, hydroelectric plants and transmission lines.

_{The report was supported by the Amazon Rainforest Journalism Fund, in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.}