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In 1987, as Brazil was emerging from the dark decades of military dictatorship, a union of social forces emerged that had seemed distant until then. Extractive communities and indigenous peoples from the Amazon, historical victims of land grabbers,formed the Alliance of Forest Peoples. The moment could not have been more opportune, as this group, led by figures like Chico Mendes and Ailton Krenak, produced proposals that influenced the new Constitution, enacted in 1988.
The political impact of that meeting cannot be forgotten in this moment when the extreme right, represented by the candidacy ofFlávio Bolsonaro (PL), seeks to privatize Brazil's natural heritage. While in the 1980s the supposed conciliatory right ceded public lands to agricultural ventures, today the right wants to privatize beaches and open indigenous lands to mining.
Through the union of rubber tapper and indigenous peoples, the struggle of the Amazonian peoples was brought to the world stage, raising concerns among the leaders of international development banks. The World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) were providing loans for the creation of livestock production poles and financing the construction of roads that cut through traditional territories. Chico Mendes, during an iconic trip to Washington in 1987, managed to freeze some of these financings, and as we know, he paid with his life for his courage.
But her fight survived: from the abundance of ideas and the resistance that arose, new leadership emerged, including Marina Silva, the youngest senator ever elected in Acre in the 1990s, and later, the Environment Minister in Lula's administrations. She brought environmental policy to the heart of government and, with the support of top scientists and managers, proved that it is possible to contain deforestation.
As I write these lines, news emerge showing that, inIn 2025, deforestation ratesIn Brazil, deforestation reached a new historical low. And the best part is, these results are no longer limited to the Amazon. Data from Deter, INPE's deforestation alert system, showedA reduction of 30% in September.In the Cerrado. Fantastic news, as this is the biome under the most pressure, where illegalities and land invasions have flourished in recent years.
One of the cornerstones of Lula and Marina's policy to stop the destructive appetite is precisely the fight against land grabbing and the promotion of land regularization.Studies by renowned non-governmental organizationsAs research by the Amazon Institute of Environmental Research (IPAM) has shown that, in recent years, with restrictions and repression on deforestation in private properties, criminals have shifted to increasing the frequency of wildfires and logging in conservation units and indigenous lands.
Land grabbing and the invasion of indigenous territories define much of what Brazil is. Our colonial history was brutal against the forest peoples, and its effects on our daily lives persist to this day, as does the persistence of violence in the countryside and the constant threats faced by rural communities.In this immense polarization that the country is going through, we have talked a lot about the interior and how the agro culture has helped to define votes. But we are an Atlantic country, with a coastal identity and with a very strong connection to the beaches. Therefore, while we warn about what is happening in the forest, we cannot fail to point out the real estate speculation that may come to transform the Brazilian coast.
The Proposed Constitutional Amendment to regulate the sale of Navy landIt generated a huge controversy in 2024.And now, in this election, it has returned to the debate, as no less than Flávio Bolsonaro is the rapporteur of the proposal, known as the PEC on the Privatization of Beaches. The idea is to allow the sale of lands located in a strip starting at 33 meters from the highest tide points and historically belonging to the Union. The argument of those in favor of the proposal is that this would bring more investments, in the form of condominiums and resorts, to our coastline. In practice, it could become a way to close access and create exclusive beaches for the moneyed elite.
In the face of this threat, I found myself wondering if it might not be time for the Alliance of Forest Peoples to return to the national stage, incorporating the peoples of the sea as well.As well as extractivists becoming guardians of some of the country's most important forest reserves, artisanal fishermen, shellfish gatherers, and crab collectors are the guardians of our coast.
The theme of ocean protection is especially important. Next year, Brazil will be the host of theThe theme of protecting the oceans is particularly important. Next year, Brazil will be the host of the United Nations Ocean Decade meeting, which will take place in April in Rio de Janeiro.(No change, as it is already in English)(No change, as it is already in English)
Now it seems to me that this is the moment to expand this alliance: forest and ocean united against the politics of death. And the alliance for the sea will not only be important for an extreme-right government. The impacts of oil exploration, the concession of new offshore blocks, and climate change will make our coast a central point for the country's future.