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All rights reserved The ceremony in Ribas do Rio Pardo (MS) was attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin officially inaugurated the world’s largest single-line pulp mill in Ribas do Rio Pardo The ceremony was attended by the President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; the Vice President and Minister of Development as well as representatives from the federal With capacity to produce 2.55 million tonnes of pulp per year the project is the result of a total investment of R$22.2 billion (~U$4.3 billion) of which R$15.9 billion (~U$3.1 billion) was allocated to the construction of the mill and R$6.3 billion (~U$1.2 billion) dedicated to areas such as developing outbound logistics and the forestry base This marks the largest investment in Suzano’s 100-year history and represents one of the largest private investments in Brazil in recent years President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasized the importance of responsible private investment to the country’s development: “We can only reap what we sow if we plant properly This makes a forest grow,” Lula said “The Brazilian economy is expected to grow by 3.5% this year It is one of the largest growth rates among all the countries in the world,” he added Reflecting on Suzano’s ambitious goals for promoting diversity Lula emphasized the importance of this agenda in fostering a more equitable society Suzano’s workforce includes 609 women with 448 working in the forestry sector and 161 in the industrial sector The construction of the Ribas do Rio Pardo mill was first announced in May 2021 with a total of more than 45,000 people involved throughout its duration The mill began operations on July 21 of this year and currently employs approximately 3,000 people working across industrial highlighted that the Ribas do Rio Pardo mill serves as a prime example of private investment delivering positive outcomes for both people and nature: “Over 45,000 people have worked here we generate 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region This is the type of social impact that an investment of this scale brings to the country and the state We have an industrial complex here that can generate all the energy this hub requires in a renewable and clean manner with enough surplus to supply all the households in Mato Grosso do Sul Suzano plants 1.2 million trees a day and extracts more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases serving as a tangible example of a sustainable industry,” stated the executive during the ceremony The Ribas do Rio Pardo unit will be self-sufficient in green energy production with a surplus of approximately 180 megawatts (MW) on average which will serve the satellite suppliers of the mill and contribute to the National Interconnected System (SIN) This energy from a renewable source is enough to power a city of up to 2 million inhabitants monthly With the start of operations at the new unit Suzano’s installed pulp production capacity increased from 10.9 million to 13.5 million tonnes per year representing an increase of over 20% in the company’s current pulp production Suzano also has the capacity to produce 1.5 million tonnes annually of papers among other products that use pulp as a raw material The new unit also contributed to the increase in Suzano’s production capacity in Mato Grosso do Sul with a total capacity of 5.8 million tonnes of pulp per year which directly contributes to regional socioeconomic development The mill has the smallest structural average radius of the forest base among Suzano’s operations totaling 65 km between the planting areas and the mill This unique feature minimizes logistical costs and the environmental impact associated with the transportation of pulp and wood 50% of wood transportation is conducted using hexatrains – supertrains that operate exclusively on the company’s private roads and can carry up to 250 tonnes of wood This approach significantly reduces the use of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases Suzano has a forest base of 599,000 hectares in Mato Grosso do Sul with 143,000 hectares set aside exclusively for conservation the company has invested in establishing two seedling nurseries one in Campo Grande and another in Ribas do Rio Pardo which have a total production capacity of 75 million eucalyptus seedlings per year In line with its public commitment to support the sustainable development of Ribas do Rio Pardo and the surrounding region Suzano has not only generated thousands of direct and indirect jobs and contributed significantly to the stimulation of the entire economic chain but has also invested in improving the skills base of the local workforce Over 1,300 individuals have been qualified for industrial 300 people have been trained for the local job market Suzano has also invested more than R$300 million in constructing new housing units and a medical center Through the Basic Environmental Plan (PBA) alone R$57.3 million has been invested in 21 local projects focused on healthcare The voluntary social projects totaled R$13.8 million invested in initiatives focused mainly on job and income generation in Ribas do Rio Pardo and the surrounding region Kate Abnett covers EU climate and energy policy in Brussels, reporting on Europe’s green transition and how climate change is affecting people and ecosystems across the EU. Other areas of coverage include international climate diplomacy. Before joining Reuters, Kate covered emissions and energy markets for Argus Media in London. She is part of the teams whose reporting on Europe’s energy crisis won two Reuters journalist of the year awards in 2022. Thomson Reuters Areas around the River Pardo in northeastern Brazil are home to more than one million people Included in them are traditional communities such as the quilombolas (descendants of runaway African slaves) Each year they see less water in their river. “This is not solely due to the reduction in rainfall.  Members of the Articulação da Bacia do Rio Pardo its waters are now owned by people who unscrupulously exploit the river,” explains Maicon de Andrade a water defense activist from the Center for Social Studies (CEAS) a member of the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network International Reference Group talk of challenges and achievements in the struggle for water justice in Brazil “The bleeding of the river by irrigation projects has increased enormously in recent years,” Maicon points out Most of the of water is used to irrigate eucalyptus Pastures and shrimp farms devastate and pollute the Rio Pardo delta this is a reality for most Brazilian rivers,” says the WCC’s Ecumenical Water Network’s Elias Wolff Brazilian activist Joaci Cunha highlights the importance of the Machado Mineiro Dam in what he calls the “hijacking” of the river’s water “The reservoir management is carried out with the needs of irrigators in the foreground,” he says but they overstep the law by increasing the volume of water backed up for irrigation Testimonies of the residents of the region underline the Rio Pardo’s critical situation Small producers and riverside dwellers face great challenges to guarantee production and the continuing existence of their social structures and culture Municipalities are also facing water shortages “The questions that need to be discussed are: Where is the water meant for the shower or the vegetable garden Why is it not socially manged and controlled?” ask Elias They see the problem in the countryside agrohydro business monoculture projects and dams orchestrated by the Brazilian State and private companies have reduced access to water and other common goods which people depend" they say there are many struggles in opposing the ruthless exploitation of natural resources and in promoting alternative regional styles of development Peasant communities regained around 37,000 hectares of land between 1980 and 2014 through social movements fighting for land the union movement of rural workers prevented the construction of a dam on the Pardo River in the municipality of Berizal The mobilization of fishermen and shellfish gatherers contributed to the creation of the Canavieiras Extractive Reserve Cooperatives and alliances were formed to promote a different way of living Examples are the Cooperativa Grande Sertão Veredas and the Association of Producers of Sugarcane and Derivatives in the municipality of Itarantim The CETA movement produces agroecological products from the Cabruca forest All these struggles contributed to the creation of the “Articulação e Defesa do Rio Pardo” a countryside alliance linked with city groups  to defend water and the common good in the Rio Pardo basin they raise awareness of the progressive death of the river and its consequences The alliance promotes discussion of how the basin can be better managed and spreads knowledge and practices of “Bem Viver” (“Good living”) “The strategy is to promote local actions which feed into a wider collective effort for the revitalization of Rio Pardo,” remarks Maicon Elias Wolff believes that the support of churches and other faith-based organizations and groups is fundamental to save the Rio Pardo and taking care of it is engaging with the Creator's project,” he says Please fill in this form if you would like to receive news and updates from the WCC by email Ecumenical CentreKyoto BuildingChemin du Pommier 42CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex More than 1.4 million people affected by the floods; 327,000 people have been left homeless in the south of the country The State of Rio Grande do Sul is facing one of the most severe extreme weather events in the history of the southern region of Brazil Floods in the regions of Vale do Rio Pardo Vale do Taquari and the metropolitan region of the State have already caused 107 deaths and more than 1.4 million people affected by the storms the controlling agency in cases such as this one 327 thousand people had to leave their homes Among those affected are also peasants organized in the movements that make up La Via Campesina Brazil several LVC movements have mobilized to help peasant families and extend solidarity to affected families in urban regions Initially they have installed Emergency Solidarity Kitchens There are also campaigns aimed at helping cooperatives and peasant production units such as the Emergency Solidarity Seeds campaign which has mobilized resources to ensure the reconstruction of healthy food production The campaigns are an initiative of the movements We have organized a list of how to donate to movements present in the Brazilian territories [Note: Only some of these accounts can accept funds from outside the country.] Movimiento de Pescadores Artesanales (MPP): Contribute to the struggle of fishing communities in the reconstruction of their territories Small Farmers Movement (MPA): In addition to participating in the demands of those affected in the countryside the MPA is organizing food production in territories that were not affected in order to supply healthy food to solidarity kitchens We also participate in the activities of the Seeds of Solidarity Mission which is back in action to ensure support for the reconstruction and productive restructuring of the peasants who lost everything To support these and other MPA initiatives in the climate crisis in RS make your donation through the Father Josimo Cultural Institute National Coordination of Articulation of Black Quilombola Rural Communities (CONAQ): Contribute to the struggle of quilombola communities in the reconstruction of their territories Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB): In addition to working in the Solidarity Kitchen in the neighborhood of Azenha and in the municipality of Arroio do Meio (RS) the Movement of People Affected by Dams (MAB) is planning to set up around 10 solidarity kitchens in the interior of the state to assist those affected by one of the worst climatic tragedies ever experienced in the southern region The biggest challenge is to travel to the territories most affected by the heavy rains MAB is also working on the Solidarity Seeds Campaign Pastoral Land Commission (CPT): Through its agents invites people who wish to make donations to contribute any amount to be destined to the Cáritas Brasileira account Consejo Indígena Misionero y Articulación de Pueblos Indígenas (CIMI): In this complex and vulnerable moment we ask for donations for the indigenous organizations responsible for the affected families in the South Arpinsul and the Guaraní Yvirupa Commission Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST): With the aim of initiating a broad solidarity campaign with the affected families the MST is carrying out a fundraising campaign to contribute to actions in the municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul headquarters of the Cooperative of Settled Workers of the Porto Alegre Region (Cootap) Photos by: Camila Domingues / Palácio Piratini Information provided by: La Via Campesina Brazil Note: We are in the process of obtaining information to facilitate financial support from abroad for all the organizations listed above MethodologyContact usSupportLogin 2024 (PPI Latin America) – Brazilian company Suzano the world’s largest bleached eucalyptus kraft (BEK) pulp producer is approaching the final stages of its Cerrado project a new greenfield mill in Ribas do Rio Pardo city designed to produce 2.55 million tonnes per year at full capacity with the lowest cash cost in the world construction on the project reached 80% completion in December with more than 10,000 workers in the field The breakthrough mill was announced with the clear focus of becoming one of the most competitive in the world, with cash production cost of pulp (not including scheduled maintenance downtimes) of less than 400 Reais per tonne and maintenance investments (sustaining capital expenditure) of approximately 270 Reais per tonne The cash cost value represented $72 per tonne when the project was announced on November 5 with currency variations moving it to $82 per tonne on December 29 That is less than half compared with the current lowest cash cost mill in the world, which is the Suzano-owned Três Lagoas unit that has a $244 cash cost per tonne, according to Fastmarkets’ cost benchmarking tool better known as Analytical Cornerstone Learn how our cost benchmarking tool can help to improve your competitive pricing strategy in the forest product industry. Learn more. The average cash cost of BEK Latin American mills is $263 per tonne putting the Cerrado project at another level of competitiveness Suzano housed the project in a new frontier for pulp production which is still catching up with the 22.2 billion Reais ($4.5 billion) being invested there Ribas still lacks basic infrastructure such as mobile coverage a few kilometers from the downtown in addition to social well-being necessities Suzano offered millions of Reais in counterparts for the state and the municipality including the duplication of the local hospital the construction of more than 900 houses for future workers the construction of police stations and support to local entrepreneurs the company will be able to take advantage of a region with vast pastures that can be converted into forests with a flat topography combined with an extremely favorable climate for eucalyptus plantations “More and more big mills are being constructed inside the forest This one with an average distance of 65km has a great differential for competitiveness tunnels that pass under highways and we will use six-trailer trucks making it extremely competitive to bring wood to the mill,” the project’s engineering director Miranda said that the first wood shipment for the mill was made at the end of November with tests in the wood chipping line coming following in the next few days “With that we will start to produce woodchips as biomass generating vapor to test and clean all production lines commissioning and warming up systems for a smooth start-up other highlights of the new mill include the surplus generation of 180 megawatts of green power with two condensing turbines that allow energy generation even with variations in the pulp production process Energy production is key for lowering pulp cash costs with revenue directly affecting the mill’s balance sheet around 80MW will be consumed by the mill and 50MW were already traded in an auction at 2.8 billion Reais in 2022 revenue from utilities is very significant for a pulp mill while this model of industrial facility is totally adherent to our goals of having a totally clean and renewable energy matrix,” Miranda noted The Cerrado project will also count on a gasification line to produce Syngas which can be used as a clean alternative to fossil fuels The mill will not have any natural gas pipe connections and will only use fossil fuel during the start up of the lime kiln the low cost is assured by a single line mill “Only in the drying sections will the production be divided in two We were more conservative in the washing sections with two lines with three washers each but the bleaching line is a single one as well the executive said that consumption is secured with the objective to use less than 24m³ for one air dried tonne produced with the premise that water is always a limiting factor “We included preventive measures to protect the riverbed and any water use is registered and reported to the environment secretary We conducted studies for hydric use in the region and even in a stress situation we would not require 5% of the total flow of the river we have protection as only 24km away there is a hydroelectric plant,” Miranda added the mill had to adapt to the inefficient infrastructure and will transport pulp around 230kms by road to the railway then on to Santos port Despite there being a western railway network located 1 kilometer away from the project it did not present adequate conservation due to its narrow-gauge railway “We have decided to export using the northern network which is more competitive and has a broad-gauge railway,” the executive said Targeting such a low cost to produce pulp, Suzano wants to put the small and unknown Ribas to Rio Pardo in the center of global production looking forward Learn why the forest products industry relies on our cost benchmarking tool and how it can help you compare the cost of production of pulp Get our news on your inbox! Suscribe x MercoPress, en Español Montevideo, May 5th 2025 - 14:04 UTC The number of fatalities in Southeastern Brazil was updated to 29 on Thursday after at least 203 cities in the State of Rio Grande do Sul were hit by heavy storms which are also forecast to move on to neighboring Santa Catarina over the next few days A hydroelectric dam broke near Bento Gonçalves The main regions affected are municipalities located in the center of the state Civil Defense is warning residents of risk areas in six municipalities to leave their homes Rio Grande do Sul Governor Eduardo Leite (PSDB) declared a state of public calamity for 180 days after 203 municipalities in the state were affected by the heavy rains just over 40% of all the cities in the state The current phenomenon is likely to be “the biggest weather disaster” ever faced by the people of Rio Grande do Sul Leite described the situation as “absurdly exceptional” and that the rain falling in the state would cause the “worst flood ever seen” He also said that the storm has hampered rescue efforts and urged the population to seek protection in places far from areas that could suffer from river flooding and landslides “It is absolutely impossible to meet all the rescue requests in the weather conditions we are experiencing,” he said and people who are in inaccessible places,” he said There are 60 registered missing persons,“ he also noted A total of 71,306 people have been affected the Guaíba River is expected to reach the highest height ever recorded surpassing the 4.73 meters recorded in the 1941 flood the river is rising at a rate of 8 centimeters per hour and was at a height of 3.37 meters until 7 pm on Thursday ”It's going to pass 4 meters this morning,“ said Leite 160 state and federal highways have been blocked and 160 points have been georeferenced to carry out a rescue According to Civil Defense Colonel Luciano Boeira 4,600 people have been rescued and more than 2,500 civil servants are working to find those affected that heavy storms should continue this Friday and into the weekend They would not be subsiding at least until Sunday ”Instability continues over the state of Rio Grande do Sul That channel of humidity coming from the north of the country will continue over the next few days,“ said meteorologist Cátia Valente ”We still have very high volumes of rain in the northwest north of Rio Grande do Sul and the flow continues through the central region of the state and also in Campos de Cima da Serra and the entire valley region.” President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to Rio Grande do Sul Thursday to meet with Leite it was decided to create an Integrated Situation Room under the coordination of the military commander of the South to organize rescue operations in all the affected regions Commenting for this story is now closed.If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page! (AP Photo/Wesley Santos)Image: ASSOCIATED PRESSMUCUM Brazil (AP) — Flooding from a cyclone in southern Brazil washed away houses trapped motorists in vehicles and swamped streets in several cities killing at least 31 people and leaving 2,300 homeless which has been Rio Grande do Sul state's deadliest shows the dimension of an absolutely out of the ordinary event,” Leite said in a video posted on the state's social media accounts “It wasn’t just riverside communities that were hit but entire cities that were completely compromised.” Videos shot by rescue teams Tuesday and published by the online news site G1 had shown some families on the top of their houses pleading for help as rivers overflowed their banks Some areas were entirely cut off after wide avenues turned into fast-moving rivers Leite said Wednesday that the death toll had reached 31 and state emergency authorities said at least 2,300 people were made homeless Another 3,000 had to temporarily evacuate their houses rescuers found 15 bodies in a single house residents discovered a trail of destruction along the river with most buildings swept away down to the ground level Images showed a sheep hanging from an electrical line — an indication of how high the water had risen it was rising two meters (6½ feet) an hour,” Mucum resident Marcos Antonio Gomes said In an indication of how long people might be stranded the Mucum city hall advised residents Tuesday to seek out supplies to meet their needs for the next 72 hours Other towns called on their citizens with boats to help with rescue efforts said it was the fourth time in 15 years that his house was damaged by floods and he expects more flooding in the future We have to abandon (this place)," Gomes said Many of the victims died from electrical shock One woman died as she was swept away during a rescue attempt Search and rescue teams have focused on the Taquari Valley about 150 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of the state capital where most of the victims and damage were recorded But those efforts expanded farther west on Wednesday morning with helicopters sent to the Rio Pardo Valley More heavy rains were expected to hit the state’s center-south region Authorities maintained three flooding alerts on Wednesday — for the Jacui Rio Grande do Sul was hit by another cyclone in June which killed 16 people and caused destruction in 40 cities Associated Press writer Diane Jeantet contributed to this report from Rio de Janeiro One of the final stages in demarcating the Amazonian territory of the isolated Kawahiva tribe is set to take place this year Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples has announced It’s taken nearly 23 years of work by Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency to mark off land for the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo territory in Mato Grosso state But some Indigenous experts remain skeptical the territory will ever be demarcated in the face of constant delays and structural problems within Funai “It doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen,” Jair Candor coordinator of the Funai unit that safeguards the Kawahiva “I don’t see any actions in favor of demarcation.” one of numerous groups who once occupied vast tracts of the Amazon Rainforest prepared by Funai’s department for isolated and recently contacted peoples could not be provided for “confidentiality reasons,” according to the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples physically demarcating the boundaries of the territory who vowed to not demarcate “one inch” of Indigenous land throughout his 2019-2022 presidency “there are now more than 50 declared Indigenous lands awaiting georeferencing,” the Funai representative told Mongabay “It was not possible to carry out the physical demarcation of the Pardo River Kawahiva Indigenous Territory during this time,” they said the georeferencing and physical demarcation of the Kawahiva land is now considered a priority The paperwork is currently being prepared for a bidding process to hire a specialized company to help; the bidding is expected to go ahead in early 2024 The Kawahiva territory sits within the “Arc of Deforestation” in the southern part of the Brazilian Amazon which is slowly moving north as cattle ranchers loggers and soy growers clear forest for more land Also known as an “economic frontier” or “agribusiness frontier,” the arc region is also one of the most violent areas in the country is one of the green buffers in the northward expansion of deforestation Mato Grosso’s secretary of state for communication But the land is still frequently targeted by land grabbers and loggers who invade the territory through the neighboring Guariba-Roosevelt Extractive Reserve in Mato Grosso and the Guariba Extractive Reserve in Amazonas causing deforestation and putting the existence of the isolated group at risk Although there was no deforestation on Kawahiva land in 2023 the Guariba-Roosevelt Extractive Reserve that borders the territory lost 1,885 hectares (4,657 acres) according to data presented to Mongabay by the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples “The area around Kawahiva land have been invaded very quickly,” Candor said “We are concerned that these people will move into the Indigenous land soon.” For Indigenous peoples living in isolation one of the greatest dangers of contact with outsiders is their vulnerability to diseases common among the general population Indigenous adviser at the Observatory of Human Rights of Isolated and Recently Contacted Indigenous Peoples (OPI) the presence of invaders in the territory is an imminent threat of genocide to Indigenous peoples in isolation,” she said After repeated attacks extending over decades by loggers the Kawahiva people were frequently displaced and have since become nomadic so as to be flee deeper into the forest when intruders arrive Candor said this has become a survival strategy to avoid contact with an encroaching industrial society manager of the Boa Fé ranch that borders the Kawahiva Indigenous land on the Amazonas side told Mongabay illegal miners and loggers have also been invading his property “We fully support the creation of the Kawahiva Indigenous territory because regularization of the reserve helps protect our property as well; it is good for both sides,” he said the situation has been made worse by the opening of a road in 2021 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the Kawahiva territory that connects the Guariba-Roosevelt and Guariba extractive reserves This road was authorized in 2021 by municipal authorities in Mato Grosso and Amazonas because the zones are marked as conservation areas APIB said authorization should have come from the state and not the municipalities effectively making the opening of the road illegal the Mato Grosso’s communications secretary the state government “has never encouraged any illegal act and reinforces that it combats all crimes with zero tolerance.” Although some experts blame the Bolsonaro administration for stalling the demarcation process for the Kawahiva people when the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo Indigenous Territory had its declaratory ordinance issued there has been no progress in land regularization,” Keller Tavares said “The Lula government continues in the same vein as previous governments with regard to land regularization in the Kawahiva territory.” these numbers imply that each FPE employee is responsible for the protection of around 670,000 hectares (1.66 million acres) of Indigenous lands — an area more than four times the size of the city of São Paulo In a technical note published by Funai in May the agency said it’s “at the minimum limit of its operating capacity” and “the workforce of the decentralized units is below the minimum necessary for proper functioning.” “The absence of budgetary and human resources is an outstanding reason to explain this historical institutional deficit,” the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples told Mongabay “The preparation of a schedule for the resolution of this historic demand will only be possible with a real increase in the budget with the creation of new FPEs — demands that will only be resolved in a scenario of technical readjustment.” In January 2023, Funai president Joenia Wapichana said in an interview that the agency was “in a state of deprivation,” as it had been given less than 90,000 reais ($18,400) to demarcate and protect Indigenous territories that year totally precarious for the size of the obligation FUNAI must uphold by law,” she said Barbosa was also arrested in 2015 and later convicted on charges of extorting bribes in exchange for issuing tax incentives but they still have interests in rural property ownership in the region,” Ricardo Carvalho an Indigenous rights campaigner and project coordinator with activist group Operation Native Amazon (OPAN) “What worries me most at the moment is the advance on the surrounding Indigenous land Banner image: The last remaining Kawahiva people have become nomadic so as to be flee deeper into the forest when intruders arrive The coveted legacy of the ‘Man of the Hole’ and his cultivated Amazon forest Related listening from Mongabay’s podcast: Scott Wallace journalism professor at the University of Connecticut and National Geographic writer speaks about his New York Times best-selling book on the importance of protecting uncontacted Indigenous groups in the Amazon FEEDBACK: Use this form to send a message to the author of this post The “fortress conservation” model is under pressure in East Africa as protected areas become battlegrounds over history and global efforts to halt biodiversity loss Mongabay’s Special Issue goes beyond the region’s world-renowned safaris to examine how rural communities and governments are reckoning with conservation’s colonial origins and trying to forge a path forward […] © FUNAIThe last of the Kawahiva are forced to live on the run Still image from unique footage taken by government agents during a chance encounter This page was created in 2017 and may contain language which is now outdated Survival International has learned that politicians from a notoriously violent town in Brazil are lobbying behind the scenes to open up the territory of a vulnerable uncontacted tribe Councillors from Colniza in central Brazil, which is dominated by illegal logging and ranching and for years was Brazil’s most violent town have met the Minister of Justice to lobby for the Rio Pardo Indigenous territory to be drastically reduced in size The minister is reportedly sympathetic to the councillors’ proposals Their plan is for road-builders, loggers, ranchers and soya farmers to move in, despite the territory being home to the last of the Kawahiva tribe, one of the most vulnerable peoples on the planet © FUNAIArmed loggers and powerful ranchers are razing the Kawahiva's forest to the ground The Kawahiva depend entirely on the rainforest for survival and have been on the run from loggers and other invaders for years The Rio Pardo territory was only recognized in 2016, following a global campaign by Survival International and pressure within Brazil Thousands of Survival supporters contacted the then-Minister of Justice demanding action. Oscar-winning actor and Survival ambassador Sir Mark Rylance fronted a major media push culminating in the signing of the decree that should have secured the Indians’ territory for good vested interests in the region could undo much of that progress Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: “Brazil must respect the rights of its tribal peoples clearly want to be left alone and to live as they please But Brazil’s current leaders are holding closed-door meetings with corrupt politicians The stakes could not be higher – entire peoples are facing genocide as a result of this callous approach.” who migrate from camp to camp through the Rio Pardo rainforest ranches and logging all risk exposing them to violence from outsiders who steal their lands and resources and to diseases like flu and measles to which they have no resistance All uncontacted tribal peoples face catastrophe unless their land is protected Survival International is leading the global fight to secure their land for them and to give them the chance to determine their own futures The current Brazilian government is attempting to roll back decades of gradual progress in the recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights in the country The Minister of Justice recently said: “Enough of all this talk of land [demarcation] – land doesn’t fill anyone’s stomach.” And the new head of Indigenous Affairs Department FUNAI has said “Indians can’t be ‘fixed in time.’” Unprecedented images of uncontacted Indigenous people in Brazil’s Massaco Indigenous Territory have prompted a push for greater enforcement to protect the land of these vulnerable populations A trail camera installed in the Indigenous territory had captured the images in February 2024 showing the men were collecting machetes and axes left behind by a 2021 expedition officials found — “unsurprisingly” — spiked traps left by the group in the area before they left the site Funai officials recorded traces and activities of uncontacted groups in the Massaco territory Beyond the traps placed on trails and roads on the borders of territory the presence of the isolated groups was evidenced on several occasions by temporary shelters who led the expedition and has for the past 30 years been monitoring Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation Despite the poor quality of the images as a result of weather conditions the recordings are key to documenting the physical characteristics The photographic equipment remained intact despite being visible meaning the Indigenous people didn’t even approach it out of curiosity “The dissemination of the images seeks to reaffirm the Indigenous presence in the territories and reinforce the need for territorial protection against threats to their survival,” Funai said in the news release The Massaco Indigenous Territory sprawls across 421,895 hectares (1.04 million acres) in the Amazonian state of Rondônia meaning it was designated for the exclusive occupation of Indigenous peoples of as yet unknown ethnicity living in voluntary isolation 97.5% of its area overlaps with the Guaporé Biological Reserve Funai said its team’s attention was drawn to the increasingly frequent approach by the Indigenous inhabitants to the edges of the territory due to the need to expand their area of occupation in search of resources for their survival — and also because of population growth But this venturing exposes them to contact which significantly alters the cycle of natural resources on which these people depend for their survival,” Algayer said “Ensuring the full protection of the natural resources of this territory is fundamental for the survival of these people.” Funai said it has been monitoring the isolated people of the Massaco territory for more than 35 years It mounts expeditions every year that carry out detailed surveys of the traces that the isolated people leave behind the agency has built up data on how they live and develop and how they manage their occupation of the territory including their nomadic lifestyle and their aptitude for hunting and gathering “This data reaffirms the need to protect the isolated [Indigenous people] and the territory where they live reinforcing vigilance against possible invasions and the importance of actions that guarantee their cultural and physical integrity always respecting the no-contact policy,” Funai said Funai’s monitoring activities also confirmed the presence of uncontacted groups in another Indigenous territory last year A July 2024 expedition in the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo territory in Mato Grosso state found “clear signs” of Indigenous presence there made from the capemba (leaf) of the paxiúba tree The team also confirmed the presence of children through footprints with evidence of new families being formed There were also reports of abandoned tapiris (huts) and the movement of Indigenous people to more isolated parts of the territory said the monitoring activities aimed to verify the living conditions of the group without getting too close or forcing contact “The intention is to gather information in order to draw up and implement more qualified public protection policies for this population,” said Candor a sertanista who has monitored isolated and uncontacted groups for 36 years Kawahiva do Rio Pardo hasn’t been fully demarcated though the borders of the 411,844-hectare (1.02-million-acre) territory were officially delineated “We found signs of invasion and very strong pressure around the territory showing that the [need for] physical demarcation of the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo Indigenous Territory is more than urgent,” Candor in the news release the agents found a campsite set up by outsiders inside the territory — possibly miners or copaibeiros The campsite was in an area where the team had recorded heavy occupation by isolated Indigenous people on previous expeditions reinforcing their suspicion that the latter had moved to another part of the territory at strategic points and installed motion-triggered camera traps to monitor the Indigenous people without interfering in their routines there’s a lot of pressure from land grabbers and illegal loggers in the area and as such the isolated Indigenous people have already had contact with these types of tools in the past there’s a risk they might try to seek new tools on the surrounding farms putting them at serious risk of either violence or a transmissible disease should they come into contact with outsiders “We place these tools every few years inside the forest to prevent them from looking for them on the farms,” he said Indigenous rights groups have expressed concern about the situation of isolated and uncontacted Indigenous groups in Brazil, particularly in the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo territory. Advocacy group Survival International said it has campaigned for decades for the demarcation of the territory where the presence of uncontacted groups was only officially confirmed 26 years ago “We are very concerned about the Kawahiva,” Fiona Watson research and advocacy director at Survival International Kawahiva do Rio Pardo is located within the municipality of Colniza one of Brazil’s most violent areas; 90% of Colniza’s income is generated from illegal logging The group says many Kawahiva individuals have been killed by loggers and ranchers in recent decades, while others have died from diseases caught during contact with outsiders. “Those that survive are the last of the Kawahiva,” the group said Funai released a unique video from a chance encounter with the Kawahiva in 2011 In October 2024, a Supreme Federal Court decision ordered Funai to set up a time frame for the conclusion of the demarcation process of the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo Indigenous Territory; it also ordered Funai to present a schedule for carrying out surveillance with the aim of guaranteeing the integrity of Indigenous lands and preventing invasions “Funai says the physical demarcation will be completed by the end of this year It must be held accountable for this given the increasing pressures on the Kawahiva’s land and the fact the campaign for demarcation has gone on for a quarter of a century,” Watson said “The interesting thing is that we have a precedent for it which is precisely the Massaco territory,” she added noting that Massaco was the first Indigenous territory in Brazil to be demarcated for an uncontacted Indigenous people Watson called it a “really successful” initiative that’s for the most part remained intact “There’s been a bit of invasion and there are ranches But actually by large it’s OK if you compare it to other territories,” she said Funai didn’t respond to Mongabay’s request about the time frame for the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo Indigenous Territory’s demarcation nor about the protection measures for Indigenous territories that have uncontacted and isolated groups The agency’s work in identifying isolated and uncontacted Indigenous peoples and publicizing the information is key to protecting them a member of a group focused on uncontacted and isolated peoples at the Indigenist Missionary Council (CIMI) an advocacy group affiliated with the Catholic Church there is still a great need for people to actually believe that these peoples exist This information released by Funai ends up helping to achieve this,” Loebens told Mongabay in a phone interview Given the intense economic interest in these areas one of the strategies used by land grabbers targeting isolated peoples’ lands is just that: to deny they even exist in which these economic interests have wiped out all traces of their existence precisely in order to be able to appropriate the lands of these peoples.” entire Indigenous communities have disappeared and even been massacred because of this strategy of making them invisible “This is an imminent risk for these groups especially those not officially recognized by the Brazilian state And therein lies the great demand in terms of protecting these peoples.” More consistent information about the presence of these peoples is key to pressuring the government to take measures to protect these vulnerable groups more than 80 isolated Indigenous groups have been reported and are yet to be recognized by the government Banner image: Brazil’s Indigenous affairs agency released in January 2025 unprecedented images of a group of nine men from an uncontacted tribe in the Massaco Indigenous Territory ___________________________________________________________________ Peruvian logger loses FSC label after latest clash with isolated Mashco Piro In international talks over global climate policy Brazil’s government time and again has stated a goal that environmental activists scoff at: eliminating illegal deforestation in the Amazon rainforest They scoff because environmentalists believe that Brazil as guardian of the world’s largest rainforest amounts to nothing more than enforcing the law But in remote corners of the Amazon – a major source of the planet’s fresh water and oxygen and a crucial buffer against climate change – enforcing the law is not easy With few resources and personnel to police even major cities Brazilian authorities are easily outmanned and outmanoeuvred in a region the size of western Europe miners and other would-be developers in the Amazon fell trees unchallenged Before: Rondonia in a NASA satellite image taken in 1975.After: Rondonia in 2014 a western Brazilian state about half the size of Ireland forays into the rainforest by settlers in recent decades went largely unimpeded about 16 percent of the state has been cleared And that is just a sliver of a total area bigger than Germany that has been razed across the entire Amazon over the same period rises now where only jungle stood less than a quarter of a century ago Settlement there followed a routine well-established across the deforested Amazon followed by small merchants and prospectors who smell opportunity A tree is pictured at sunrise in the village of Rio Pardo near Bom Futuro National Forest in the district of Porto Velho Men try to extinguish a fire at a farm in Rio Pardo near Bom Futuro National Forest An aerial view of a deforested plot of the Amazon in Bom Futuro National Forest An aerial view shows the Amazon rainforest in Bom Futuro National Forest An aerial view shows an illegal logging camp (blue tarpaulin in foreground) in Bom Futuro National Forest near Rio Pardo stands next to Saldanha Hotel in the village of Rio Pardo Residents walk on a dirt street illuminated by headlights in Rio Pardo A man drives his motorbike past a bus in Rio Pardo A man poses on the street in the village of Rio Pardo pours petrol into bottles for an electric generator A family is pictured outside their house in Rio Pardo A boy sits as other children run in the corridors of their school in the village of Rio Pardo poses in front of a public phone that he owns in Rio Pardo Roque sits at the table inside his house in the village of Rio Pardo Evangelical pastors stand before a mass is held at their church in the village of Rio Pardo People pray during a mass in an evangelical church in the village of Rio Pardo Women talk outside a clothing boutique in Rio Pardo pose next to a phone booth that they installed in Rio Pardo Amilton cools off his horse at a petrol station in Rio Pardo When Edivaldo Fernandes Oliveira first arrived in Rio Pardo in 1999 he took to cutting trees and eventually cleared enough land to start a small ranch where more than 100 cattle now graze Oliveira and others in Rio Pardo say they did not know at the time that the land was in one of the many national forests Brazil’s government has established but nobody told me when I got here,” says Oliveira To fight means to struggle against ongoing efforts by Brazil’s environmental agency to move settlers like him off the protected lands whether their crimes were deliberate or not who is not related to Edivaldo Fernandes Oliveira the state has negotiated land swaps with the federal government but unprotected swaths of the forest to make up for some of what has already been cleared such measures are seen by critics as tantamount to rewards for wrongdoing But settlers see it through a lens going back to the earliest days of colonisation “The Portuguese had no titles when they came to Brazil,” says Paulo Francisco Fernandes Oliveira who brought him along later to help care for the cattle Go to next story in the series - Earthprints: Singapore Andre Romani and Steven Grattan in Sao Paulo; writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Stephen Coates and Sandra Maler Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; editing by Jonathan Oatis Deforestation and mining orders skyrocket in Indigenous Lands with isolates in Mato Grosso telegram Join our Telegram channel! telegram During the months of May and June 2022, 142 hectares were deforested in Indigenous Lands with the presence of isolated peoples, according to the ISA Sirad-I bulletin The extraction of illegal wood and the expansion of mining are the main causes of the exponential increase in deforestation that threatens the lives of isolated people 30 hectares were deforested in the Arara do Rio Branco Indigenous Land The practice took place close to the border of the territory This IT has been monitored since the beginning of January this is the largest deforestation ever recorded in the territory Other monitored ILs also suffered from the advance of deforestation between May and June in TI Kawahiva do Rio Pardo and in TI Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau 1,3 million adult trees have been felled in the Piripkura Indigenous Land alone The months of May and June were marked by illegal requests for mining requirements for the exploration of gold within these Indigenous Lands where peoples in isolation live. Most orders were placed by Oxycer Holding Corporation Exclusive International Business. After denouncement of InfoAmazonia portal the company withdrew 50 orders registered with the National Mining Agency The company had filed five requests for gold exploration research within the Piripkura TI a large mine is advancing every day according to the Sirad-I bulletin Oxycer also filed an application in the Arara do Rio Branco TI and three requests in the Kawahiva do Rio Pardo TI where the required area reaches approximately 23 thousand hectares The resumption of mining activity in the interior of TI Zoró also deserves attention The first illegal mining site within this territory was identified between January and February and reported to the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) which carried out an operation in the region in May monitoring showed that mining was resumed and the deforested area grew TI collects mining requirements for copper exploration desktop versionmobile version The most relevant news for you to form your opinion on the socio-environmental agenda LAST ISSUE The Suzano company reported that it will build a new pulp production plant in the municipality of Ribas do Rio Pardo, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil With more than 90 years of experience, the company operates primarily in the pulp (paper and lint grade) and paper (cardboard Suzano is one of the largest vertically integrated producers of pulp and paper in Latin America and was the largest producer of eucalyptus pulp in the world and virgin market pulp in the world in 2020 Like other Brazilian producers of eucalyptus pulp it has the lowest pulp production cost in the world the company is one of the largest paper producers in Brazil and represents almost 40% of printing and writing paper and 25% of cardboard produced in Brazil in 2020 The new plant will have a nominal capacity of 2,550,000 tons per year of eucalyptus pulp production it exceeds the initially planned annual nominal capacity of 2,300,000 tons The company estimates that the new plant will start operating in the second half of 2024 Of the industrial capital investment in the project the company indicated that it remains estimated at 14.7 billion Brazilian reais with a disbursement distributed between 2021 and 2024 in compliance with the company’s commitment to financial discipline maintaining compliance with the parameters established in Suzano’s Debt Management Policy Suzano’s total installed eucalyptus pulp production capacity was 11.9 million tons per year and its total production volume was 10.8 million tons of which 9.8 million tons were produced as commercial pulp and the remainder was used for the production of 1.2 million tons of paper and cardboard Redacción: 7224059128info@opportimes.com In Rio de Janeiro we handle a great variety of themes. We can cover a shootout and a samba parade on the same day. But we usually cover sports, culture, religion, social themes and violence. I was born into a family of photographers, a tradition that started with my grandfather. I always loved seeing my relatives’ work and I also remember when they gave me my first "toy" camera (it was actually real). I was about 6 years old, and it was one of my favourite things to play with. Some months ago, I found a “book” about a square in Rio that I made using that camera with a friend, with his texts and my pictures. At the age of 14 I got work as a studio assistant, bought a Nikon FM2 and started to learn photography. In 2003 I began accompanying photographers at work in the streets and started to learn about photojournalism. The following year, I became an apprentice at the newspaper “O Dia”. My first assignment was the trial of the son of a famous singer in Brazil, who was accused of murder. He didn’t spend even a full minute in court, just seconds... I only took about four or five pictures, and learnt to be careful not to lose a single chance, it could be the last one... I think the story that affected me the most was when a gunman killed 12 children at a Rio de Janeiro school in 2011. It was really painful to cover the saddest story that we’ve ever seen in Brazil. We never had a crime like that before, the shots were fired at young children. I love to shoot contrasts, different realities, lifestyles and cultures that are juxtaposed, stories of people’s lives, religion and its rituals... But if I had to choose just one sort of assignment, I think it would be conflict, violence and its consequences. And travel, I always want to travel! Today, information gets to unimaginable places incredibly fast. Sometimes when we cover bureaucratic stories, we only aim them at Reuters clients. But when I’m shooting stronger stories, I think of everyone, from the simplest person in my neighbourhood, to change makers, to anyone else who cares. My grandfather, Jose Antonio, is my idol. He was a great photographer and was really important to the history of photography in Brazil. A master. Fire is not natural in the Amazon. Virgin rainforest, no matter how fierce the sun, is too wet to catch alight. If the forest burns it is almost always because of humans. In August, around the peak of the so-called "queimadas" as the burning season here is known, the number of fires in Brazil's Amazon jumped to its highest since 2010. Fire is the second stage in clearing the forest, usually for raising cattle. First, choice woods are cut and sold, then the rest is burned. It is cheap, it is effective, and it is hard to catch those responsible. Cutting down the forest is illegal without permission, and using fire is against the law except in exceptional circumstances. The latest data from August 2018 through July 2019 showed more rainforest was cleared than at any point in the past 11 years. An area larger than Puerto Rico was cut down. Preliminary figures suggest the rate has increased since. Three teams of Reuters journalists spent weeks travelling thousands of miles across the world's largest tropical rainforest this year, witnessing the devastation of what scientists regard as a vital protection against climate change. On the Trans-Amazonian highway, near the river port of Humaita, the August night sky did not go dark. The flames from a forest fire, stretching into the distance beside the road, glowed a dusky yellow. For days it burned. Some people have taken protecting the forest into their own hands. Reuters spent seven days with an indigenous vigilante group fighting to keep illegal loggers off their land in the state of Maranhao. One night in September, alerted by the rumble of heavy trucks, six Guajajara tribesmen – faces painted for battle – rushed to ambush a group of loggers. At a choke point in the local network of rutted dirt roads, they lay in wait, a 4x4 blocking the road, rifles and handguns at the ready. When the trucks arrived, the loggers, who numbered around eight, were first to fire. The Guajajara shot back, forcing the loggers to scatter into the forest. The indigenous warriors burnt the trucks, piled high with freshly cut lumber. One of the men that night was Paulo Paulino Guajajara. He knew it was dangerous work and spoke frankly of his fear. "I'm scared at times, but we have to lift up our heads and act. We are here fighting," he said. Four weeks later, he was dead. Members of his tribe said loggers had shot him through the head. PHOTO EDITING BY GABRIELLE FONSECA JOHNSON; TEXT EDITING BY MIKE COLLETT-WHITE; LAYOUT BY JULIA DALRYMPLE A house stands in front of a burning tract as it is cleared by loggers and farmers near Porto Velho. Billows of smoke rise over a deforested plot in Porto Velho. An aerial view looks over a burning tract as it is cleared by farmers in Itaituba, Para. A truck drives through a deforested plot in Boca do Acre. An aerial view shows a deforested plot near Porto Velho. Remains of trees lie on the ground of a burnt tract near Porto Velho. Eliane Muller walks next to a burnt tract as it is cleared by farmers, after the fire hit 2 acres from her cassava plantation in Rio Pardo. The carcass of a cow lies along a tract as it is cleared by loggers and farmers in Porto Velho. A cow stands in front of a burning tract as it is cleared by loggers and farmers in Apui. Pedro Mura, who is part of the Indigenous Mura tribe, reacts in front of a deforested area in nondemarcated indigenous land inside the Amazon rainforest, near Humaita. Employees relax in a camp inside the Bom Retiro deforestation area on the right side of the BR 319 highway near Humaita. Jose, 2, plays while a fire burns in the distance as it is cleared by loggers and farmers near Porto Velho. A Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) fire brigade member attempts to control hot points during a fire at Tenharim Marmelos Indigenous Land. Smoke from a burning tract rises into the distance behind a cabin near Porto Velho. A tree trunk is engulfed in flames during a fire in Itapua do Oeste. IBAMA fire brigade members attempt to control hot points during a fire at Tenharim Marmelos Indigenous Land. A tract burns at Tenharim Marmelos Indigenous Land. 20195:22 PM UTCWildfires rage in Brazil's AmazonAn unprecedented surge in wildfires has occurred since Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January vowing to develop the Amazon region for farming and mining ignoring international concern over increased deforestation [2/32]An aerial view shows a deforested plot of the Amazon near Porto Velho Wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest have jumped this year with 72,843 fires detected so far by Brazil's space research center INPE on August 20 The surge marks an 83% increase over the same period of 2018 [5/32]A tract of Amazon jungle burns at Tenharim Marmelos Indigenous Land walks next to a burnt tract of the Amazon forest as it is cleared by farmers after the fire hit 2 acres from her cassava plantation in Rio Pardo [8/32]A fire is seen on a tract of Amazon jungle at Tenharim Marmelos Indigenous Land walks on a smoldering field after it was hit by a fire burning a tract of the Amazon forest as it is cleared by farmers [10/32]A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers in Rio Pardo [11/32]A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers in Rio Pardo [12/32]A member of the National Public Security Force combats a fire burning a tract of Amazon jungle as it is cleared by farmers near in Rio Pardo [13/32]A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers in Rio Pardo [14/32]A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers in Rio Pardo [15/32]A view of a deforested area at the National Forest Bom Futuro in Rio Pardo [16/32]A member of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) walks as a fire burning a tract of Amazon jungle is cleared by farmers near in Rio Pardo [17/32]A fire is seen on a tract of Amazon jungle at the National Forest Bom Futuro in Rio Pardo [19/32]A burning tree is seen during a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest in Itapua do Oeste [20/32]A fire is seen on a tract of Amazon jungle at Tenharim Marmelos Indigenous Land Brazil's conservation efforts have come under scrutiny this year amid the worst fires in the Amazon rainforest since 2010 Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has called for rolling back conservation rules to allow more development of the region's natural resources More in this CollectionSee all picturesItem 21 of 32 An aerial view shows a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho REUTERS/Bruno Kelly[21/32]An aerial view shows a fire in an area of the Amazon rainforest near Porto Velho © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved More than 60 cities battered by storm since Monday night as more heavy rains expected but sparing worst-hit areas An extratropical cyclone in southern Brazil has caused floods in several cities killing at least 31 people and leaving more than 1,600 homeless More than 60 cities have been battered by the storm since Monday night said the death toll was the state’s highest due to a climate event Rescue efforts expanded farther west on Wednesday with helicopters headed to the Rio Pardo Valley Search and rescue teams had been focusing around the Taquari Valley about 150km (31 miles) north-west of the state capital Porto Alegre The floods in Rio Grande do Sul were the latest in a series of such disasters to have recently struck Brazil, where more than 50 people were killed in São Paulo state earlier this year after extensive downpours caused landslides and flooding. More heavy rains were expected to hit the state’s center-south region, but possibly sparing worst-hit areas. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday he had spoken to Leite to offer the federal government’s full support for the state to “face this crisis”. Lula sent two ministers to the state to oversee search and rescue efforts and said the vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin, would also be “on standby” to travel there. Authorities maintained three flooding alerts on Wednesday – for the Jacui, Cai and Taquari Rivers. 1:03Floods submerge homes and leave at least 21 people dead in Brazil – videoTV footage showed families on the top of their houses pleading for help as rivers overflowed their banks. Some areas were entirely cut off after wide avenues turned into fast-moving rivers. Leite said 15 of the deaths occurred in one house in Muçum, a city of about 5,000 residents. Once the storm had passed, TV footage showed a goat hanging from an electrical line – an indication of how high the water had risen. Many of the victims died from electrical shock, or were trapped in vehicles, online news site G1 reported. The city hall at Muçum recommended that residents seek out supplies to meet their needs for the next 72 hours. 20194:57 AM UTCPictures of the year: Natural disastersOur top natural disaster photos this year [1/38]A rescue worker swims as he checks around a flooded residential area due to Typhoon Hagibis [2/38]People run after collecting food aid from a South African National Defence Force (SANDF) helicopter in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai in Nhamatanda village [3/38]A tract of Amazon jungle burns as it is cleared by farmers in Rio Pardo spill into floodwaters in Fremont County Iowa [6/38]Rescue workers set up a lamp as rescue work continues after Typhoon Lekima hit a village in Wenzhou which resurfaced in a dried-up dam due to drought [8/38]A child is seen on a street flooded by the rising Rio Solimoes one of the two main branches of the Amazon River [9/38]A house destroyed by a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake triggered by a 6.4 tremor the previous day is seen at night near the epicenter in Trona [10/38]Mud covers the seaside near the village of Fodele following flash floods during a heavy storm on the island of Crete [11/38]Rescue workers climb where a landslide occurred after heavy rains in Los Rosales district in La Paz [12/38]Clouds gather but produce no rain as cracks are seen in the dried up municipal dam in drought-stricken Graaff-Reinet [13/38]Lava flows from the Stromboli volcano on the island of Stromboli [14/38]Italian firefighters work at the site of a collapsed building in the town of Durres following a powerful earthquake that shook Albania [15/38]A woman walks away from a damaged house after several tornadoes reportedly touched down [16/38]Stalls are closed following a volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in Bandung Antara Foto/ Novrian Arbi/via REUTERSBANDUNG [17/38]People clean up after flash rains hit Arganda del Rey who was forced to leave her home when Kilauea Volcano erupted and covered it with lava last summer plants a coconut tree on her property in Kapoho [19/38]Buildings damaged during Cyclone Kenneth are seen from the air in a village north of Pemba [20/38]A man walks among debris at the Mudd neighborhood devastated after Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in Marsh Harbour More in this CollectionSee all picturesItem 21 of 38 Personnel from the Royal Bahamas Police Force remove a body recovered in a destroyed neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbour REUTERS/Loren Elliott[21/38]Personnel from the Royal Bahamas Police Force remove a body recovered in a destroyed neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbour The burning Amazon, Greta Thunberg in Washington, protests in Hong Kong and fashion week in Milan – the past seven days, as captured by the world’s best photojournalists Photograph: Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP/Getty Images Photograph: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images A democratic approach: With a tasting menu priced at around $40 and a hatch serving toasted sandwiches for as little as $3, A Casa do Porco is committed to offering something for everyone, with a democratic and inclusive approach sparked by the Ruedas’ own humble upbringings. The pair also run hotdog and ice cream kiosks and are champions of their community, with Janaina also a key player in bringing free meals to schoolchildren. Country-inspired cocktails: As well-thought-out as the food, the drinks programme led by Janaina includes alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktail pairings for just $18. Based on the idea of reconnecting with the land, the drinks incorporate honey and fruit from the Ruedas’ farm instead of sugar, with the menu listing provenance and inspiration. Try sake with riesling and passionfruit, or coconut water with beetroot and spices. The takeaway: The Ruedas now also have their own Porco Real brand of burgers and sausages made on the farm. Rua Araújo, 124, São Paulo, 01220-020, Brazil The page you're looking for does not exist... Aerial images taken this summer and early fall showed deforested plots of the Amazon, illegal logging camps and sawmills near the village of Rio Pardo, a settlement of about 4,000 people next to Bom Futuro National Forest, in the district of Porto Velho, Rondonia State. Deforestation of the rainforest in Rondonia in recent decades has gone ahead largely unimpeded. Since 1988, an area bigger than Germany has been razed across the entire Amazon. Loggers first cleared the forest followed by ranchers and farmers, then small merchants and prospectors. Brazil's government has stated a goal of eliminating illegal deforestation, but enforcing the law in remote corners like Rio Pardo is far from easy. There were more unsettling news coming out of Brazil's Amazon rainforest in recent weeks. A first-of-its-kind survey of the Amazon’s trees found that as many as half the species may be threatened with extinction or heading that way because of massive deforestation. Among the more than 5,000 tree species in deep trouble: the ones that produce Brazil nuts and mahogany. An international team of 158 scientists found that depending on the degree to which deforestation comes under control in the next 35 years, between 36 and 57 per cent of the 16,000 tree species in the tropical rainforest area would be considered threatened. Their study was published in the latest edition of Science Advances. The range rests on whether cutting down the region’s forest continues at the rate of the late 20th and early 21st centuries or slows down to lesser levels proposed in 2006, study authors said. If deforestation continues at the same pace, nearly 8,700 tree types are in trouble, but the number of species at risk could be as low as 5,500 if nations are able to cut back as planned, said study co-author Nigel Pitman from the Field Museum in Chicago. 'We’ve never had a good idea of how many species are threatened in the Amazon,' Pitman said. 'Now with this study, we have an estimate.' About 15 years ago, the Amazon was losing about 11.6 million square miles of forest a year, said Tim Killeen, a scientist from Agteca Amazonica in Bolivia. But that figure has dropped to about 3.8 million square miles a year, he said. Killeen said the tree that produces Brazil nuts is seriously under threat, while 'mahogany is commercially extinct throughout the Amazon.' He said that means there’s no more industry harvesting the wood, but some trees exist. Major terror attack 'was just HOURS away' before it was foiled by the special forces and police:... Victim of acid attack 'plotted by his ex-partner who teamed up with a gang' dies in hospital six... We are trapped in unsellable newbuild homes after a £52m dual carriageway was built on our... Pub is forced to pay family £75,000 after wrongly accusing them of 'dine and dash' over £150... Horror as $4.5M influencer-laden yacht SINKS off Miami... after glam women made a rookie maritime... 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Husband of British mother, 65, who was knifed to death in French village says her affair is a... Images show destruction of Brazils' Amazon rainforestCommenting on this article has endedNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}