FORMOSO DO ARAGUAIA, Brazil (AP) — On a vast island in northern Brazil, an unusual debate about cattle and conservation is taking place.
Federal authorities last year ordered the removal of herds from protected Indigenous territory on Bananal Island, the world’s largest river island. They argued the land was reserved for Indigenous peoples and conservation, and that the herds kept there by outside ranchers were illegal and contributed to habitat degradation.
To comply with the order, wranglers drove more than 100,000 cattle from the island when the rivers were low enough. But the removal has created new problems for Indigenous residents who had come to rely on money they earned leasing the land to ranchers.
The situation on Bananal Island reflects a broader tension across the Amazon region, where federal environmental enforcement efforts can collide with the economic realities of Indigenous communities. MSI previously reported on how Indigenous practices have reshaped wildfire strategy in Brazil’s Cerrado region, highlighting the role of traditional land management in conservation efforts.
The cattle removal operation was carried out when seasonal low water levels made it possible to move the herds across riverbeds. Federal authorities have not announced further enforcement actions on the island, and it remains unclear how Indigenous residents will replace the income they lost from the leasing arrangements.