Forest people in Mato Grosso, Brasil

conflicts, resistance and struggle of indigenous peoples in the years 2020-2021

Abstract

The term “forest peoples” coined by Chico Mendes refers to movements of resistance and defense of territories against unbridled environmental exploitation, explaining the consequences of colonization and later predatory economic development models in Brazil. These movements are made up of peoples who have an intimate relationship with the environment in which they live and who manifest themselves in practices of sustainability and environmental preservation. The peoples of the forest in Mato Grosso, addressed in the research, refer to indigenous peoples who seek to maintain their ways of life even though they are in constant conflict and fighting deforestation and the impacts that agricultural expansion has on their territories, as well as seeking their rights to citizenship and dignity. The aim of the research is to map the actions and conflicts, identifying the aspects of territoriality and classifying the forms of manifestation of the peoples in the face of the constant threats they suffer. The actions of indigenous peoples play a fundamental role in demanding that the institutions responsible promote public policies and apply what is already guaranteed to them by law, such as consultation protocols, for the autonomy and protection of lives, avoiding and mitigating a series of conflicts that affect the environment in the face of economic pressures.