Conflicts over land in the Amazon fall 26% in the 1st semester – 10/10/2023 – Daily Life

Violence in the countryside decreased in the Legal Amazon in the first half of 2023. From January to June this year, 329 land conflicts were recorded in the region, a drop of 25.7% compared to the same period in 2022. The region encompasses Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and Tocantins.

In the country as a whole, the movement went in the opposite direction, with an increase of 9.1%: there were 791 occurrences in the first six months of 2023 and 725 in the same period in the previous year. The number was the second highest of the decade, behind only 2020, which had 876 cases.

The data is collected by Cedoc (Dom Tomás Balduíno Documentation Center) and was released this Tuesday (10) by the CPT (Pastoral Land Commission). The survey has been carried out by the organization since 1985.

In 2023, the main people affected by land violence were indigenous peoples, with 38.2% of cases, followed by landless rural workers (19.2%), squatters (14.1%) and quilombolas (12.2%) .

The CPT also documents other situations, such as incidents of slave labor and conflicts over water. In total, 973 conflicts were recorded in the countryside during the period, an increase of 8.1% compared to 2022, with the involvement of around 527 thousand people.

In relation to cases of slave labor, both the number of records (20%), reaching 102 occurrences, and the number of people rescued (43.9%) increased, totaling 1,408 workers. The number of rescues is the highest since 2014, which, according to the pastoral, demonstrates the greater visibility given to this violence.

Agribusiness was the activity with the most people rescued, with 532 in sugarcane cultivation, 331 in permanent crops and 46 in livestock farming. Victims were also rescued in mining activities (104), deforestation (63) and charcoal production (51).

The reduction in conflicts in the Amazon region in the first months of President Lula’s (PT) government occurs at the same time as there is a drop in deforestation numbers and an increase in environmental crime inspection actions.

From January to June, deforestation alerts in the Amazon fell 33.6%, the lowest rate since 2020.

In the same period, Ibama (Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) increased fines imposed for crimes against flora by 166% in relation to the average for the period in the last four years, while embargoes grew 111% and terms of destruction of equipment used in environmental crimes increased by 260%. The information is from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change.

Despite this, Ronilson Costa, one of the CPT’s national coordinators, highlights that the number of conflicts in the Amazon is still very high.

“I believe that [com o novo governo] may have begun a new phase of inspection, of attention. The whole world has its eyes on the Amazon, which is an important pressure. But, in the daily lives of riverside and indigenous peoples, there are still many situations of pressure and violence”, he states.

“For example, the Mundurukus, in Pará, who have suffered many situations of threats and violence”, he says, highlighting the presence of illegal miners in the indigenous land. “In Amazonas, there are constant actions against riverside residents, who have their fishing territories invaded by companies.”

Costa also points out that, although the number of conflicts has fallen in the region, the number of people affected has increased. “The number is the highest in the last ten years.”

He also highlights that the national index continues to increase. “What happened is that there were other regions, such as Mato Grosso do Sul and Goiás, which presented much higher numbers than before”, he points out.

In Mato Grosso do Sul, conflicts over land went from 44, in the first half of 2022, to 76 in the same period of 2023, an increase of 72%. In Goiás, the number of occurrences went from 24 to 86, an increase of 258%.

For Costa, the increase in land conflicts that has been recorded in recent years is mainly due to two reasons.

“Firstly, the Brazilian economy has become increasingly primary, based on mining exploration and the expansion of agribusiness. When these two fronts expand, they go to territories already occupied, such as areas of family farming and indigenous and quilombola territories” , explains.

Furthermore, he points out the slow pace of legal proceedings regarding disputed areas.

“There are cases that are more than 20 years old. This delay also ends up being a way of accentuating conflicts, because families become increasingly vulnerable. There is a situation of instability and some of the farmers start to pressure people to abandon those lands.”

He also points out that there was a dismantling of conflict mediation mechanisms during the administration of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).

“The previous government dismantled public policies aimed at stabilizing and guaranteeing security for these families. There were years of great invasion of indigenous and quilombola lands by farmers and land grabbers”, he says.

Another CPT report shows that, from 2019 to 2022, there was a 29.8% increase in land clashes in the Amazon compared to the previous four years.

“The Lula 3 government begins with the perspective of opening dialogue and conflict mediation. But there is a huge burden of demands from communities”, he states, adding that, despite this, the federal government claims a lack of money to implement policies in the area.

“The government says there are no resources for 2023, but situations are occurring. Land continues to be invaded by loggers, mining companies and miners.”

In August, Lula signed decrees to resume the National Agrarian Reform Program. Among the measures announced are the settlement of 5,700 families by the end of this year, the regularization of 40 thousand settled families and the application of R$300 million in Installation Credit, from Incra (National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform).