By Lucas Freire, journalist and member of the Pororoka Collective

Josielma Vilhena is an artisanal fisherwoman who lives in the Bailique archipelago, in Amapá. The area is part of the Amazon River Delta and already suffers from the presence of hydroelectric plants. She fears that oil exploration in the region will further affect the community’s way of life if it harms marine life, the main source of livelihood for residents.

“Today we already suffer from the impact of riverbank erosion, as well as changes in watercourses and the increase in currents caused by the presence of these hydroelectric plants, which end up affecting marine life, the great source of sustenance for those who live in that region. That is why we fear that, with the start of oil exploration in the Amazon Delta, we will suffer even more,” she declared.

She is not alone. Between July 21 and 23, the Embassy of Peoples, in Belém (PA), held the “Mutirão dos Povos: The Answer Is Us!”, with the goal of outlining and organizing the strategies and demands of Amazonian peoples to confront the climate crisis. An exchange between fishers, quilombolas, Indigenous peoples, and social movements.

“We brought together representatives from fishing communities from various states of the Brazilian Amazon, such as Amapá, Pará, and Rondônia, to understand the reality these communities face in light of the issue of fossil fuel exploration in the Amazon Delta, and to discuss how this exploration could affect them in cases of possible accidents. This gathering served so that, together, we could seek alternatives and strategies of mobilization and articulation to confront this massive project,” said Sila Mesquita, coordinator of the Amazon Working Group Network (GTA) and the Embassy of Peoples.

The Mutirão dos Povos gathered fishing communities, quilombolas, Indigenous peoples, and social movements for dialogues and exchanges about the realities these communities face in resisting the exploitation of their territories. Photo: Lucas Freire/Pororoka.

For Indigenous leaders, the campaign “The Answer Is Us” is a global call for climate justice and for Indigenous peoples and traditional communities to have an active voice in building solutions to the climate crisis.

“This meeting is a union of forces in defense of not only Indigenous territories, but of all territories in the Amazon Basin — among quilombolas, riverine peoples, and extractivists — along with the partnership of Indigenous organizations of the Brazilian Amazon. They act not only against fossil fuel exploitation in these territories but also for the mitigation and prevention of climate change that affects these places,” highlighted Chief Jonas Mura, one of the coordinators of the GTA Network.

But for this to happen, the State must guarantee fundamental rights of demarcation and protection of Indigenous Lands.

“The recognition of our peoples and territories is the true and effective policy to confront the climate crisis. In the year that the Amazon will host the Climate COP, unity among Indigenous peoples in the fight against any form of predatory exploitation in the Amazon is essential,” reinforced Kleber Karipuna, coordinator of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB).

Traditional communities, Indigenous and riverine peoples advocate for the recognition of their territories as part of the solutions to confront the climate crisis in the Amazon. Photo: Lucas Freire/Pororoka.

Planet in Crisis - A melting Earth over an oil stain was the message chosen by the Mutirão dos Povos. The act was held in front of the Hangar Convention Center, where the Blue Zone — the area where diplomatic negotiations during COP 30 will take place — will be located. The message could not be clearer or more urgent: oil, gas, and fossil fuel extraction will be our end, since the exploitation of these sources is among the main drivers of greenhouse gas emissions.

The message is clear: oil, gas, and other fossil fuel extraction must stop before we reach the point of no return for the environment. Photo: Lucas Freire/Pororoka.

“COP 30 will have to listen to us and admit that the response to the climate crisis comes with the people alive and the forest standing. For the forest to remain standing, it is necessary that we, the peoples of the Amazon, remain alive, be respected, and have our territories protected against the destruction caused by large corporations that want to exploit the land, expel peasants, and destroy nature and our cultures,” stated Poli Soares, from MST-PA.

Peoples’ Declaration - The final result was the drafting of the “Declaration of the Mutirão dos Povos for COP 30: The Answer Is Us!”, a political statement by social and Indigenous movements demanding the recognition of their lands and rights, titling, protection, and the end of predatory exploitation in Indigenous territories. The document also calls for direct climate financing for the peoples of the Amazon and the recognition of the Amazon territory as a heritage of humanity.

“We prepared a document with joint action guidelines that connect with the work of defending territories and promoting a harmonious coexistence within the forest. It is a synthesis of what we envision, as Indigenous peoples together with social movements, so that the rights of forest peoples are guaranteed,” explained Toya Manchineri, general coordinator of the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB).

The Declaration is signed by 19 organizations and will be delivered to the COP 30 presidency.

“This letter carries a cry from traditional peoples, riverine communities, fishers, and all those who live from the land and waters, so that the voices of these communities are heard by the authorities during the event, and so that we have a place in this crucial discussion,” said Sila Mesquita.