THE KRAHO INDIGENOUS. GUARDIANS OF THE CERRADO SAVANNAH.
The Cerrado is the richest savannah in the world. Despite being almost ten times the size of Britain, and home to thousands of rare fauna (including the black jaguar) and over 10,000 species of plants (45% of which are endemic), it has sadly gained the status of a ‘forgotten’ biome since Brazilian legislators left it off the list of national heritage areas drawn up in 1988. This omission meant that the Cerrado was declared open to exploitation and ‘development’ by agri-ranching farmers, a move which has since resulted in deforestation at a record rate of 30,000 km2 per year; a figure that dwarfs that recorded in the Amazon Rainforest. Today, only 20% of the original Cerrado remains, and only 3% of this land in protected. A large part of the protected land belongs to an indigenous tribe called the Kraho.
The Kraho indigenous community live in a remote area of Tocantins state, Brazil. They represent the largest indigenous group in the Cerrado and also hold the largest territory of any indigenous group in the Cerrado biome. Their existence is vital for the future preservation of the Cerrado as their expansive territory is legally protected by governmental laws. They are the guardians of an increasingly vulnerable Cerrado. However, the monocultures are surrounding them and they are concerned that their land is slowly being invaded. They believe the toxins used in soya monoculture pollute their river and they claim to have suffered from stomach and skin problems as a result. Also, Eucalyptus forests are draining the water system putting further pressure on their pristine Cerrado land.
Brazil’s huge economic drive through agro business monoculture is sweeping through the Brazilian landscape and destroying any unprotected areas, the Cerrado being the worst affected. The enormous expansion of monocultures such as Soya and Eucalyptus are finally coming into contact with the traditional people that have lived off the land for centuries.