Indigenous people interrupt hearing on Ferrogrão – 12/15/2023 – Environment

Indigenous protesters tried to prevent, this Friday (15), a public hearing on the construction of a railway that should pass through their lands to transport grains to a port in the north of the Amazon.

The 1,000km-long Ferrogrão railway is supported by farmers and grain companies who say it would reduce dependence on roads and lower the costs of transporting soybeans from Mato Grosso to river ports in the Amazon basin.

But the Munduruku and Kayapó indigenous peoples claim that they were not consulted about the project, which has impacts on the environment and deforestation in the region.

Around a hundred protesters holding banners blocked the entrance to the hearing in Novo Progresso, in the south of Pará. The meeting began when the protesters left the building, as shown in videos on social media published by the participants.

“The railway is a development project that will be good for everyone,” said one of its main supporters, senator Zequinha Marinho (Podemos-PA), to the protesters.

Leading the protest was Alessandra Munduruku, winner of the 2023 Goldman Environmental for her efforts to stop mining development in the Amazon and protect the forest.

“We cannot allow a hearing to happen that goes against our territory. We are worried about the future of our children,” Alessandra Munduruku told Reuters by phone.

“The people are worried about climate change, but Congress is worried about profiting from our lands,” he added, referring to the parliamentary vote the day before that overturned President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s (PT) veto on the time frame for demarcation. of indigenous lands.

The decision on whether or not to establish a deadline for land claims will now be decided by the STF (Supreme Federal Court).

In August, in a decision on Ferrogrão, the STF maintained the suspension of a government plan to reduce the size of a forest conservation park to allow the construction of the railway, while new studies are expected.

The railway was designed to connect the port of Mirituba, in Pará, to the municipality of Sinop, in Mato Grosso.