By Were Kelly
Just miles from where global leaders convene for the COP30 climate summit, Afro-Brazilian quilombola communities are mounting a desperate defence of their ancestral lands against encroaching landfill projects and violent cartels.
Their struggle presents a stark contrast to the high-level negotiations, underscoring the intimate link between environmental preservation and the rights of traditional peoples.
The quilombolas, descendants of escaped slaves, have preserved vast tracts of biodiverse land for generations. However, they now face dual threats from illegal logging and land-grabbing cartels, as well as from proposed industrial projects.
Community activists argue that their sustainable way of life is the embodiment of the climate justice principles being debated at the nearby summit. “Our fight is the real climate justice,” one elder leader stated. “They talk in air-conditioned rooms; we live the solution on this land.”
The conflict highlights how environmental policies can sometimes overlook the very communities that are most effective at guarding ecosystems. Displacement is a immediate risk for over 100 families in the region, whose presence acts as a barrier to deforestation.
A human rights advocate working with the communities explained, “These land grabs are not just a property dispute; they are an attack on a cultural and environmental heritage that benefits the entire planet. When you displace a quilombola community, you often clear the way for total ecological destruction.”
The Brazilian government faces increasing pressure to enforce land protections and uphold the constitutional rights of the quilombolas, even as it hosts the world’s premier climate conference. The communities have vowed to continue their resistance, framing their survival as integral to the global fight against climate change.
As COP30 continues, the quilombolas hope their plight will remind delegates that the future of the planet is inextricably tied to the fate of its most vulnerable guardians.
Source: Global Issues (IPS)
