Hundreds of Indigenous people have been protesting for almost a week at a Cargill facility in Santarem in northern Brazil against a decree signed in August by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva allowing the federal government to consider private concessions for waterways, shifting responsibility for maintenance, dredging and vessel traffic management to operators.
The Tapajos and Arapiuns Indigenous Council, which represents 14 Indigenous peoples and is leading the protest in Para state, said the government failed to consult affected communities, as required by legislation and international conventions. The group warns that dredging projects threaten the Tapajos River, Indigenous territories and the environmental balance of the Amazon rainforest.
