Positive Planetary Health Results In the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory
Deep in the Amazon rainforest, the Parakanã people of Apyterewa Indigenous Territory steward their ancestral home with knowledge and traditions passed down for generations. This is a place where jaguars roam, silky anteaters climb, and three-striped arrow-poison frogs thrive amidst towering big-leaf mahogany trees.
Located in São Félix do Xingu, Pará, Brazil, the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory comprises ~750k hectares of primary rainforest, sequestering over 80 million tonnes of carbon. Woodwell Climate Research Center’s Landscape Capital Index—a data-driven tool for assessing the potential of rainforests to deliver climate mitigation and conservation impact—has identified the area as a high-priority area for forest protection.
But this extraordinary ecosystem—and the Parakanã’s way of life—stands on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Key challenges include:
Illegal Occupation and Degradation: Over 80% of the territory is illegally occupied by loggers, miners, and squatters, leading to severe environmental degradation.
Deforestation: Apyterewa has the highest deforestation rate among Indigenous territories in the Amazon. ~101,310 hectares have been cleared, causing biodiversity loss, major reduction in carbon stocks, and ecological disruption.
Conflict: At the beginning of the second half of 2024, the Parakanã clashed with invaders who returned to their territory.
However, in just a few months, community-led solutions here have begun to heal the forest, restore biodiversity, and strengthen the Parakanã’s rightful stewardship of their land. This is proof: Indigenous-led restoration works.
Alongside Indigenous-led NGO, Pawanka Fund and the Tato’a Indigenous Association (an Indigenous organization representing the Parakanã people of the Apyterewa Indigenous Land), Health In Harmony is working to support the Parakanã community in protecting their forests and land, supporting the training of Indigenous environmental agents, GPS land monitoring, expeditions for land mapping, and meetings with federal bodies over compensation plans.
Based on results so far, investing just $100,000 in solutions developed by the Parakanã people of the Apyterewa Indigenous Lands in Brazil (pictured) is expected to prevent $36.8 million of carbon emissions.
This is the power of listening to and investing in Indigenous Peoples: local, economical solutions with global impact for humanity and the planet – and your donations make it possible.
Support this work – and the Parakanã Indigenous Peoples – on our donation page.