This archive report was first published on 19 December 2019.
December 19, 2019, marked a significant day for Brazil's indigenous communities as President Jair Bolsonaro announced plans to open up protected native territory to mining and logging.
Activists have long warned that economic activity in these areas would lead to increased violence and pressure from miners and loggers, and their concerns are now being realized.
"Why can you, being white, mine on your land when the Indians can't?" Bolsonaro said in a statement, leaving many to question the motives behind his decision.
According to official data, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon surged by 104 percent in November compared to the same period in 2018, with almost twice as much deforestation occurring since Bolsonaro took office in January.
Amnesty International has called on Bolsonaro to curb illegal cattle farms in the Amazon, citing the "very real threat" they pose to the human rights of indigenous and traditional peoples and the planet's ecosystem.
