Indigenous lands must be recognised as part of climate policy, says Brazilian minister

Brazil’s Indigenous peoples minister, Sonia Guajajara, at Cop30, where there were protests on Friday morning by Indigenous peoples which brought the talks to a halt. Photograph: Bruna Prado/AP

Countries must recognise the demarcation of Indigenous lands as a key component of tackling the climate crisis, and civil society must help in the defence of such lands against mining interests, Brazil’s minister for Indigenous peoples has said.

Sonia Guajajara, a longtime Indigenous activist before being appointed a minister by President Lula da Silva, said: “[Among the goals of the Cop30 summit is] a request that countries recognise the demarcation of Indigenous lands as climate policy.”