JOSR: Journal of Social Research
Desember 2022, 2 (1), 24-31
p-ISSN: 2827-9832 e-ISSN: 2828-335x
Available online at http:// https://ijsr.internationaljournallabs.com/index.php/ijsr
http://ijsr.internationaljournallabs.com/index.php/ijsr
AMAZON RAINFOREST DEFORESTATION AND INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE MOVEMENT IN PRESERVING ENVIRONMENTAL
CONSERVATION
Evy Nurinayah, Muhtadi, HS Tisnanta
Faculty of Law Lampung University, Bandar Lampung, Indonesia
evy.nr25@gmail.com, muhtadi.1977@fh.unila.ac.id, s.nymus@yahoo.co.id
Abstrak (Indonesia)
Received:
Revised :
Accepted:
November 26,
2022
November 29,
2022
December 01,
2022
Latar Belakang: Hutan Amazon adalah salah satu daerah
yang mengalami deforestasi terbesar di dunia dan ini
menyebabkan penurunan kualitas lingkungan yang terjadi di
wilayahnya, dan Brasil bertanggung jawab atas setengah dari
deforestasi di Amazon karena deforestasi di wilayah Amazon
Brasil memiliki persentase terbesar dibandingkan dengan
wilayah lain.
Tujuan: Sejalan dengan rumusan masalah yang dijelaskan
di atas, tujuan penulisan tulisan ini adalah untuk mengetahui
mengapa terjadi penurunan kualitas lingkungan dan
bagaimana peran dan upaya masyarakat adat Brasil untuk
melindungi lingkungan di wilayah Hutan Amazon.
Metode: Para peneliti menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif
di sini. Data diperoleh dari berbagai dokumen, termasuk
jurnal dan berita dari berbagai platform. Peneliti
menganalisis data dengan membaca setiap dokumen secara
menyeluruh dan menyimpulkan hasilnya.
Hasil: Hasil dari konversi lahan hutan di Amazon adalah
bahwa tanah lain lebih mudah dan lebih cepat untuk digusur
juga jika dibandingkan dengan pertama kali kegiatan
eksploitasi ini dilakukan pada tahun 1970-an hingga
pertengahan 2000-an. Area hutan hujan yang luas di Amazon
akhirnya dipenuhi dengan ternak, pertanian kedelai,
penggalian bendungan dan mineral, serta pembukaan lahan
untuk proyek proyeksi perkotaan dan kolonialisasi.
Kesimpulan: Dari tulisan ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa
deforestasi yang terjadi di Hutan Amazon disebabkan oleh
aktivitas manusia atau pihak yang tidak bertanggung jawab
yang mengubah hutan menjadi lahan untuk keuntungan
pribadi.
Kata kunci: deforestasi, masyarakat adat, eksploitasi
Evy Nurinayah, Muhtadi, HS Tisnanta / JOSR: Journal of Social Research, 2(1), 24-31
Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving
Environmental Conservation 25
Abstract (English)
Background: The Amazon forest is one of the areas
experiencing the largest deforestation in the world and this
causes a decrease in environmental quality that occurs in
its region, and Brazil is responsible for half of the
deforestation in the Amazon because deforestation in the
Brazilian Amazon region has the largest percentage
compared to other regions.
Objective: In line with the formulation of the problem
described above, the purpose of writing this paper is to find
out why there is a decline in environmental quality and how
the role and efforts of Brazilian indigenous people are to
protect the environment in the Amazon Forest region.
Method: The researchers used qualitative approach here.
The data were obtained from various documents, including
journals and news from different platforms. The researcher
analyzed the data by reading every document thoroughly
and concluding the result.
Result: The result of the conversion of forest land in the
Amazon is that other lands are easier and faster to evict as
well when compared to the first time this exploitation
activity was carried out in the 1970s to mid-2000s. Large
areas of rainforest in the Amazon were eventually filled
with livestock, soybean farming, excavation of dams and
minerals, as well as clearing of land for urban projection
and colonialization projects.
Conclusion: From this writing, it can be concluded that the
deforestation that occurs in the Amazon Forest is caused by
human activities or irresponsible parties who turn the forest
into land for personal gain.
Keywords: deforestation, indigenous people, exploitation
*Correspondent Author: Muhtadi
Email: muhtadi.1977@fh.unila.ac.id
INTRODUCTION
Starting from the needs of living things themselves, be it humans, animals, and
plants, they need good environmental conditions as a source of life, so it is no stranger that
many environmental problems occur due to improper management of the environment
itself. Latin America is an area where a lot of environmental management is carried out,
especially in forest areas. However, forest management in Latin America is considered to
be underappreciated because it is proven to have a fairly large problem and has become a
worldwide concern, namely the problem of deforestation that occurs in the Amazon Forest.
Evy Nurinayah, Muhtadi, HS Tisnanta / JOSR: Journal of Social Research, 2(1), 24-31
Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving
Environmental Conservation 26
Deforestation is the transfer of land used for a specific purpose. In general, this
deforestation will reduce the number of trees below the minimum threshold of about 10%
in the long term. And it can be said that this deforestation is deforestation or logging of
forests so that forest land can be used for other things, but what happens is that deforestation
in the Amazon is quite large and can cause environmental degradation. Meanwhile, the
Amazon Forest itself is the largest rainforest and has a large river area in the world. This
forest has more species than any other area.
The region is also considered to be home to 10% of the 1 in 10 world-famous plant
species (Bradford, 2018). As the largest forest, the Amazon is also considered the lungs of
the world because it plays a very important role in global environmental problems (Arifin,
2009). Several things make this region important for the world because the first is, the
Amazon has a very important role in the world's carbon cycle that will shape the world's
climate. Second, scientists say that in the future, this region can become a focal point that
will lead to a warmer earth temperature. And thirdly, the Amazon accounts for a lot of rich
biodiversity and stores about a quarter of all the species from Earth in it (Word Wild Life,
n.d.).
The Amazon Forest is one of the areas experiencing the largest deforestation in the
world and this causes a decrease in environmental quality that occurs in its region, and
Brazil is responsible for half of the deforestation in the Amazon because deforestation in
the Brazilian Amazon region has the largest percentage compared to other regions.
According to data released by the Government of Brazil, confirming that the Amazon
Forest area is slowly decreasing. Brazil's Nation Space Research Institute also updated data
from its deforestation footprint system which showed a nearly five-fold increase in
deforestation during 2013 compared to previous years, from an initial 99 square kilometers
to 465 square kilometers. The areas with the greatest deforestation rates are those with more
roads. The strong correlation between the location of a deforestation front and the presence
of an existing road or a projected new road suggests that there will be a connected
deforestation front along major infrastructure development routes. This shows that this
deforestation occurs because of the actions of humans who turn the forest into something
for their benefit. Other factors that can also exacerbate pressures in the Amazon region
include the increase in activities of cattle and soybean plantations, mining areas, and others
that are also related to human interests.
The environmental problems that occur in the Amazon region itself is not merely
a problem related to nature that can be handled by one party. However, this also has an
impact on indigenous peoples and is related to their indispensable role in overcoming and
protecting environmental problems that occur in the Amazon region. The impact of
environmental degradation due to deforestation will directly hurt the lives of the indigenous
people of Brazil. The lives of these indigenous people will experience threats, especially
threats to environmental security. As the world's largest tropical forest, the Amazon is
indispensable for maintaining global climate stability. However, with the existence of
various human activities that exploit forests for their interests, the various native
ecosystems in the Amazon will be increasingly threatened by these activities (Lopez, n.d.).
This is also the basis for the formation of the Indigenous Peoples Movement, which
is an indigenous movement that refers to any indigenous population who seeks legal,
political, and cultural recognition in certain countries where the group feels under-
represented, especially the indigenous people of Brazil. One of the reasons for the
formation of the Indigenous Peoples Movement in Brazil is that they do not get a place to
live (land rights) and they also want to try to protect the rights of residence and land that
should be protected, not destroyed and cause various environmental degradation, which is
a result of deforestation in the Amazon (Wade, 2010).
Evy Nurinayah, Muhtadi, HS Tisnanta / JOSR: Journal of Social Research, 2(1), 24-31
Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving
Environmental Conservation 27
RESEARCH METHOD
The researchers used qualitative approach here. The data were obtained from
various documents, including journals and news from different platforms. The researcher
analyzed the data by reading every document thoroughly and concluding the result.
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
Explanation of cases of deforestation of the Amazon forest, in general, is very
relevant when analyzed using Green Theory. In contrast to the positivist theory which
mostly deals with power relations, the general explanation of a green theory which places
great emphasis on ecological, natural, and environmental approaches is closely related to
the environmental 'regression' that Brazil is experiencing, precisely in the Amazon at this
time. The exploitation carried out by the Brazilian government on nature in the Amazon
forest can be explained through the existence of human-non-human linkages and
relationships in Green Theory (Barry, 2014). Green Theory assumes that humans and
nature have a relationship with each other (Barry, 2014). Departing from the basic
knowledge that humans need nature to live, and vice versa. However, over time, the
demand for more human needs has become exploitative to nature. After World War II, the
wheels of the global economy moved faster and experienced an economic boost.
Sophisticated technology is also created. The existence of this rapid economic growth has
given rise to an increase in demand/demand in the global market which is increasing from
year to year. As a risk, nature is widely exploited in the 21st century. In 2005, it was
estimated that 60% of the ecosystems that support life and nature on earth were declining
and used irregularly (Eckersley, 2007).
Brazil as one of the countries that are also involved in the global economic system
certainly needs resources to manage its market. However, Brazil's efforts hurt nature
without considering the risks. Since 1978, more than 750,000 square kilometers (or the
equivalent of 289,000 square miles) of the Amazon rainforest have been destroyed across
Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Suriname, Guayana, and French Guiana. Historically, the
main cause of deforestation in the Amazon was the felling of trees by farmers to produce
crops to feed their families and also for local consumption. At the beginning of the causes
of deforestation in the Amazon Forest, we can already see the 'standpoint' of green theory.
There is the exploitation of nature by humans to meet consumption. The use of nature is no
longer intended to meet needs but to fulfill desires. Humans exploit nature to achieve their
interests without considering the surrounding environment.
Then, continued in the 20th century, the pattern of deforestation changed to become
more massive due to the increasing number of industrial and agricultural activities on a
large scale. In 2000, the clearing of forest in the Amazon that took up three-quarters of its
territory was aimed at clearing livestock.
The result of the conversion of forest land in the Amazon is that other lands are
easier and faster to evict as well when compared to the first time this exploitation activity
was carried out in the 1970s to mid-2000s. Large areas of rainforest in the Amazon were
eventually filled with livestock, soybean farming, excavation of dams and minerals, as well
as clearing of land for urban projection and colonialization projects. At the same time, as
the Amazon continues to be used as open land, it also allows for illegal logging and land
speculation.
Several reasons contribute to industrial conversion in the Amazon Forest. The first
is increasing government incentives in the form of debt and spending on state infrastructure,
which includes the construction of roads and dams. The second is increasing private sector
financing due to increased interest in "emerging markets" and rising domestic wealth. And
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Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving
Environmental Conservation 28
the third is the increasing demand for commodities such as meat, soybeans, sugar, and palm
oil in the global market.
After seeing the phenomenon of changing patterns of deforestation that occurred
in Brazil changing so very quickly, there are keywords that we can take in explaining how
the deforestation process has become more massive; industry and government interests. An
increase in industrial activity – which is certainly driven by high demand from the global
market and the pace of capital economic activity – certainly requires a lot of natural
resources. Green Theory also mentions where there is a misperception that humans have a
more 'superior' nature than nature so that it can justify humans exercising full control over
nature and can exploit in the name of fulfilling human interests only. If this continues, the
Amazon as a source of 30% of the world's lungs and home to millions of diverse species
could threaten the imbalance of nature.
This problem then becomes more complex because the problem is not only about
deforestation caused by government exploitation to build industry. This problem also
involves the indigenous peoples or 'natives' of Brazil who own and occupy territory in the
Amazon. These natives are called the 'uncontacted tribes' who have occupied the Amazon
forest for a long time. These natives have a very close natural proximity to the Amazon
forest. So, if the government continues to exploit the resources in the Amazon excessively,
the government will not only have a bad impact on the environment but also threaten the
'home' of the indigenous people. Natives here have an important role because they are one
of the hopes to protect the nature of the Amazon forest as a form of their close belief in
nature (Independent, 2018).
After seeing the phenomenon of changing patterns of deforestation that occurred
in Brazil changing so very quickly, there are keywords that we can take in explaining how
the deforestation process has become more massive; industry and government interests. An
increase in industrial activity – which is certainly driven by high demand from the global
market and the pace of capital economic activity – certainly requires a lot of natural
resources. Green Theory also mentions where there is a misperception that humans have a
more 'superior' nature than nature so that it can justify humans exercising full control over
nature and can exploit in the name of fulfilling human interests only. If this continues, the
Amazon as a source of 30% of the world's lungs and home to millions of diverse species
could threaten the imbalance of nature.
This problem then becomes more complex because the problem is not only about
deforestation caused by government exploitation to build industry. This problem also
involves the indigenous peoples or 'natives' of Brazil who own and occupy territory in the
Amazon. These natives are called the 'uncontacted tribes' who have occupied the Amazon
forest for a long time. These natives have a very close natural proximity to the Amazon
forest. So, if the government continues to exploit the resources in the Amazon excessively,
the government will not only have a bad impact on the environment but also threaten the
'home' of the indigenous people. Natives here have an important role because they are one
of the hopes to protect the nature of the Amazon forest as a form of their close belief in
nature (Independent, 2018).
The role of Indigenous People in Brazil in protecting the Amazon Rainforest
Seeing the condition of deforestation in the Amazon Forest which is getting worse
day by day, there are various conflicts and efforts by indigenous people to prevent
deforestation of the Amazon Forest caused by various human activities. Before explaining
further their role in protecting the Amazon Forest, the author would like to first explain
some of the histories of their existence.
The history of the indigenous people of Brazil was initially marked by several acts
of brutality, slavery, violence, disease, and also genocide. When the first European colonies
arrived in 1500, Brazil was inhabited by about 11 million Indians, living in about 2,000
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Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving
Environmental Conservation 29
tribes, in the first century, 90% of the population of that society was wiped out due to
diseases brought by the colonists, such as flu, measles, and smallpox. In the centuries that
followed, thousands more died, enslaved in rubber and sugar cane plantations. According
to the population census in 2010, there are about 305 tribes living in Brazil with a total of
about 900,000 people or 0.4% of the Brazilian population, the Brazilian government has
recognized 690 territories for the indigenous population, which covers about 13% of the
Brazilian landmass (IWGIA, n.d.).
The largest tribe today is the Guarani, their population to date is around 51,000
people. Over the last 100 years, almost all of their land has been stolen from them and
turned into a vast and dry network of cattle ranches, soybean fields, and sugar cane
plantations. Many of their communities live under tarpaulins by the side of the road as their
land is being eroded by industrial activities. In addition to the Guarani people, there are the
relatively isolated Yanomami, numbering around 19,000 people. The largest Amazonian
tribe in Brazil is the Tikuna, who number 40,000. Many Amazonians have a population of
fewer than 1,000 people, such as the Akutsu Tribe, which now consists of only four people,
and the AHA only 450 people (Survival International, n.d.).
Brazil itself is a country that recognizes the rights of Indigenous people. The
country supports the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(2007), and the American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2016) and has
signed ILO Convention 169. Brazil also has a 1988 constitution recognizing indigenous
peoples as the first and natural owners of land and guaranteeing their rights to the land.
Exploration and extraction of mineral wealth on customary lands must be carried out only
with the permission of the National Congress after listening to the communities involved
and their participation in the benefits of mining activities must be guaranteed. The eviction
of indigenous peoples from their lands is illegal and prohibited.
However, the fact that occurs on the ground is that deforestation is becoming more
and more common. This causes the Indigenous People there to lose their territory as a
source of life. As a form of resistance to this problem, there are several examples of actions
taken by Indigenous People. This action is then a form of implementation of the Indigenous
People's Movement in which these indigenous people express their aspirations in various
actions and defend their existence and territory. One example of this movement from the
Indigenous People's Movement is the Guajajara Defenders, a group known for its courage
to oppose deforestation.
They have been involved in clashes with gangs of armed loggers who are exploiting
their forest areas. This group created special units known as the Guardians of the Amazon.
They are an environmental defense group that is taking direct action to reduce illegal
logging in the Araeibia Reserve in the state of Maranhão. This area is vulnerable to
exploitation by illegal loggers and the lives of the indigenous people there are threatened
by the activities of these illegal loggers (Flávia Milhorance, 2018). In 2018, the leader of
this group, Jorginho Guajajara, was killed as a result of his involvement in protecting
indigenous people there in conflict with illegal loggers targeting the population (Survival
International, 2018).
As one of the characteristics of social movements, protests and demonstrations are
common actions carried out by various marginalized groups. Various people from this
group also protest against the government every year to protect their area from the rampant
agricultural business. These protests are carried out in various ways such as through
dancing in the streets wearing traditional feathered headdresses and body paint, singing and
playing drums and maracas, and painting with red paint that symbolizes the blood trail of
violence against indigenous people during the conflict with Brazil's agricultural industry.
In addition to protests and demonstrations, the hallmark of a social movement is
also found in the network. Network development between marginalized communities can
exceed the boundaries of a country. Protests in one country can lead to the emergence of
sympathizers in other countries. This can be seen in the protest carried out in Paris by Sonia
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Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving
Environmental Conservation 30
Guajajara, who is one of the Indigenous People of the Guajajara Defenders. This protest
was aimed at stopping the construction of dams in the Amazon by several French industries
such as GDF Suez, EDF, and Alstom. He managed to lead the protest using human-waves
action which was attended by thousands of protesters from various backgrounds and
managed to enter the Industrial office in France to show that the environment in the
Amazon is threatened and the existence of Indigenous People there is also threatened
(Survival International, 2014). The role of Indigenous People is vital role in maintaining
the existence of the environment in the Amazon. The forest is the lungs of the world that
must be maintained for its sustainability. He gives life to those around him. The Amazon
forest gives life to the Indigenous People there. They want to convey their rights to be
protected by the government and convey their aspirations so that the forest as a provider of
life for other humans can continue to grow and last.
CONCLUSION
From this writing, it can be concluded that the deforestation that occurs in the
Amazon Forest is caused by human activities or irresponsible parties who turn the forest
into land for personal gain. Deforestation will certainly cause a decrease in environmental
quality and become a separate threat to the indigenous peoples or indigenous people of
Brazil. And with the Indigenous Peoples Movement, will carry out a movement to seek
safe and legal recognition for the protection of their land rights, as well as their culture,
traditions, and beliefs with a strategy, namely by carrying out legal actions such as
campaigns, to increase public awareness, and form various good collaborations with
intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations, as well as with non-
governmental organizations such as Green Peace. Because the reality that is now happening
in this era of globalization is the increasing intensity of threats to the integrity of indigenous
groups due to human activities, especially in terms of the economy, which increasingly
encourages them to touch remote and protected areas, one of which is the Amazon
rainforest. Therefore, the role of the indigenous people themselves is very important in this
environmental problem, so that environmental problems caused by deforestation in the
Amazon can be reduced because of the Indigenous Peoples Movement which will enforce
land rights that should be preserved and not used as other lands. which can damage the
environment itself.
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Arifin, Y. (2009). Hutan Amazon.
Barry, J. (2014). Green Political Theory. Routledge.
Bradford, A. (2018). Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects.
Eckersley, R. (2007). Green theory. International Relations Theories: Discipline
and Diversity, 247, 265.
Independent. (2018). Indigenous people want to make Amazon rainforest world’s
biggest protected area.
IWGIA. (n.d.). Indigenous People In Brazil.
Lopez, L. S. (n.d.). Advancing The Rights of Indigenous Peoples in The Amazon
Basin.
Survival International. (n.d.). Brazilian Indians.
Survival International. (2014). Brazilian indigenous leader slams Amazon mega-
dams in Paris protest.
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Amazon Rainforest Deforestation and Indigenous People Movement in Preserving
Environmental Conservation 31
Survival International. (2018). Indigenous Environmental Defender killed as
logging mafia targets tribe.
Wade, P. (2010). Race and Ethnicity in Latin America: How the East India
Company Shaped the Modern Multinational (Edition 2). Pluto press.
Word Wild Life. (n.d.).
© 2021 by the authors. Submitted for possible open-access publication under the
terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY SA)
license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
