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CI and the Kayapó have been partners in creating solutions to protect the forest since 1992, working alongside Brazilian organizations including the Kayapó Nongovernmental Organizations’ Protected Forest Association and Raoni Institute and the Federal Indian Agency, FUNAI.
The Kayapó people control, legally and physically, a continuous block of the Amazonian forest – the planet's largest block of tropical forest protected by a single indigenous group.
The Kayapo nation lives much as its ancestors did, practicing sophisticated agroforestry and sustainable use of wildlife, with an egalitarian social structure and decision making by consensus.
LEARN MORE: Kayapó in Brazil
Subsection 01
Today, as one of the leaders of Brazil’s Kayapó, Megaron is defending his homeland from an onslaught of destruction driven by modern economic forces. The Amazon forest is increasingly threatened by deforestation caused by
fires burning massive areas for agriculture production.
Subsection 02
Large parts of the Amazon are disappearing, but the Kayapó community has banded together to protect their homeland and their culture. This video explains that if it lost there, it will be felt here.
Subsection 03
This photo gallery narrated by Cristina Mittermeier, Conservation Photographer, seeks to bring a voice to indigenous communities.
Subsection 04
Over the past 30 years, the Kayapó have deterred, even killed, trespassers. Leaders have ventured to the city to negotiate with the government and organize demonstrations. They succeeded in halting a major, World Bank-financed hydroelectric project and blocking a government plan to dump radioactive waste in the Amazon.