At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, indigenous peoples and local communities presented demands backed by a new GATC and Earth Insight report that maps where industrial extraction threatens forests and the people who live in them. They asked for stronger legal protection of tropical forests, recognition of territorial rights, guaranteed free, prior and informed consent, and new finance models that give communities direct access to funds and strengthen local governance.
The report shows extractive industries encroaching across the Amazon, the Congo Basin, Mesoamerica and Southeast Asia. It gives detailed figures: in Mesoamerica, oil and gas projects threaten 3.7 million hectares of indigenous and community lands and mining concessions cover 18.7 million hectares. In the Amazon, 250 million hectares are inhabited by indigenous peoples and local communities; 31 million hectares are threatened by oil and gas, 9.8 million by mining and 2.4 million by logging. Extractive activities are present in all Amazonian countries listed in the report.
Speakers at COP30 stressed that the maps reveal risks that were previously hidden, including threats to peoples in voluntary isolation. Juan Carlos Jintiach Arcos of GATC said the data provides global and comparable evidence of long-standing pressures. Earth Insight deputy director Florencia Librizzi described the maps as a powerful visibility tool, and independent experts noted they help show the real human presence in rainforests.
Indigenous organisations urged governments and international institutions to recognise territorial rights and to guarantee consent for projects affecting those lands. They also called for monitoring systems and finance models that match local realities; Levi Sucre Romero emphasised that communities need more than money reaching them, including systems to track and oversee projects. Leaders reported growing coordination across the Amazon, the Congo Basin and Southeast Asia and expressed cautious optimism about collective action.
Difficult words
- extraction — removing natural resources from the land
- indigenous — people native to a specific region
- encroach — move into areas that belong to othersencroaching
- territorial — relating to land owned or claimed
- consent — permission given before a project begins
- governance — systems for making and enforcing local decisions
- concession — area allowed for mining or drillingconcessions
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might direct access to funds help communities respond to extractive projects? Give reasons or examples.
- What difficulties could governments face when recognising territorial rights in regions like the Amazon or Southeast Asia?
- In what ways can maps that show human presence improve protection of forests and local communities?
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