Indigenous Peoples of Brazil Protest Against Dredging of the Tapajós River

In the city of Santarém in northern Brazil, representatives of fourteen indigenous peoples from the Lower Tapajós region, along with local residents, have launched a large-scale protest at the Cargill grain terminal. The protest was sparked by dissatisfaction with a presidential decree that allows dredging operations on the Tapajós River, one of the main transport arteries for exporting the country’s agricultural products.

This is reported by AgroReview

Concerns of Environmentalists and Indigenous Communities

Local activists and environmental organizations have expressed concern over the government’s decision to permit the privatization of navigation maintenance services on the Tapajós, Madeira, and Tocantins rivers, including dredging. Experts note that these operations involve the removal of sediment to widen and deepen the riverbeds, which, according to indigenous peoples, poses a threat to the natural balance of aquatic ecosystems, affects fishing, and may lead to the loss of the traditional way of life for local communities.

Criticism of Agribusiness and Government Actions

Indigenous communities and environmental organizations openly criticize the activities of large agritraders, particularly the American company Cargill, considering them among the main culprits of the environmental problems in the Amazon. According to Inside Climate News, protesters label Cargill as “the biggest enemy of the planet’s most climate-critical tropical forest” and accuse the company of supporting projects that could destroy the Amazon rivers and its tropical forests.

“Environmental and indigenous groups accuse the American grain trading company and other agribusiness giants of supporting projects that they believe will destroy the Amazon rivers and tropical forests,” the report states.

The Council of Indigenous Peoples (Citatb) emphasized that the federal government has already initiated bidding procedures without conducting a proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Furthermore, according to the organization, no prior, free, and informed consultations with local communities have been organized, which violates international standards for the protection of indigenous peoples’ rights.