Voices of the Cerrado – Hearing and learning from traditional and indigenous peoples of the Brazilian Savanna

GUESTS: Rede Cerrado, ISPN and APIB

DATE: 11 March 2024

ACTIVITY: DIALOGUES WITH CIVIL SOCIETY (NALACS)

LANGUAGE: Portuguese with English translation

Have you ever heard of the Brazilian Cerrado? It’s a unique but not very well-known biome of stunning natural beauty, home to many plants, animals and peoples, but under increasing threat from agricultural expansion. During this dialogue, the indigenous leaders Dinamam Tuxá and Eliane Xunakalo, together with the traditional peoples’ leadership of Lourdes Nascimento and Samuel – the general coordinator and the advisor for the Cerrado Network, respectively – will tell their personal stories about this the critical relevance and the challenges taking place in the biome.

The guests will approach the current reality faced by the Cerrado Peoples in their territory and the vital importance of this land for their lives and for the conservation of biodiversity and halting climate change. They will share their perspectives about the protection of nature and their cultures from and the need to tackle the increasing threats of rapid soy expansion for animal feed and livestock production over their lands.

The Netherlands is one of the main importers of this soy produced in the Cerrado, as the country is an important trading route and end-user of soy for feed in the intensive Dutch livestock industry. The European Union recently adopted a new regulation to curb Europe’s deforestation footprint – an important step forward, but will it help to combat the destruction of Cerrado’s natural habitats? In this dialogue session, we will learn more about the reality of the Cerrado and its local peoples, and jointly explore strategies and solutions to protect the Cerrado, to save their lands as well as our collective future.