Thread by @amazonwatch

Deforestation has exploded in the Brazilian Amazon– having almost doubled in 2019. Illegal loggers & land grabbers have not stopped destroying the forest with the onset of the pandemic.

A (very long) thread 1/13

mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/id…

Indigenous communities face the advance of the #COVID-19 in their villages with little help from the government. Without direct intervention by the Brazilian Army and the Federal Police to expel the invaders, a genocide of entire indigenous communities is underway. 2/13

In the first 3 months of 2020, Amazon deforestation was up 51% from a year ago to an area roughly the size of New York City. The Yanomami land, in Roraima state, is overrun by 30,000 illegal goldminers, according to the Hutukara Yanomami Association. #EndAmazonDeforestation 3/13

Last week, a 15-year-old Yanomami child died after contracting #COVID19. Yanomami leaders suspect that illegal miners could be responsible for bringing the virus into their 26,000-strong community. 4/13

theguardian.com/world/2020/apr…

So far, 5 indigenous people have died and 17 people have tested positive, according to official data from the Ministry of Health & indigenous organizations. #genocide 5/13

While Bolsonaro calls for the end of social isolation, indigenous communities in the Amazon are essentially relying on the work of their community leaders, as well as indigenous organizations and health professionals, who are waging an almost solitary war against the virus. 6/13

“PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), flu vaccines and material for testing those who show symptoms are lacking,” said @GuajajaraSonia to @agenciapublica. 7/13

apublica.org/2020/04/corona…

Meanwhile, almost $2m intended to combat the pandemic is still sitting in the National Indigenous Foundation (FUNAI) account. According to @Estadao, not a single cent has been earmarked by FUNAI. 8/13

saude.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral…

Workers at federal agencies are intimidated against doing the right thing. When agents from the federal environment agency IBAMA fight to expel illegal miners from indigenous reservations, they could risk getting fired in retaliation. 9/13

Brazil’s Environment Minister Ricardo Salles fired the country’s top environmental enforcement officer, Olivaldi Azevedo. Four people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Salles fired him in direct response to the broadcast. 👇10/13

reuters.com/article/us-bra…

And what is Bolsonaro doing besides downplaying the crisis? Right now, he is pushing to open indigenous lands and conservation units to mining and agribusiness — policies which greatly benefit elite land grabbers. 11/13

The Brazilian Congress and the Minister of Justice must act urgently to guarantee the safety and prevent a new genocide of indigenous peoples and stop the destruction of the Amazon. 12/13

news.mongabay.com/2020/04/rapid-…

Indigenous peoples are on the frontlines of this battle and they play a crucial role for our common survival, as the best guardians of forests and biodiversity, at a time when the loss of both is being linked to the threat of futures pandemics. #DefendEarthDefenders 13/13