Fire Is the Amazon's New Weapon of Deforestation. Guard Posts Are the Answer.
Brazil has genuinely good news this year: Amazon deforestation rates fell to their lowest level since 2013, with 2,874 square kilometers cleared between August 2025 and July 2026 [1]. That’s a 36% drop compared to the previous year. But there’s another headline that seems to contradict it: the number of wildfires across the Amazon rose by more than 30% in the same period, even as the area cleared went down [2].
Fire has become the tool of deforestation, not the byproduct
Photo: Unsplash
Analysts point to a simple incentive: burning is harder to trace back to a specific actor than chainsaw logging is, and scorched land degrades faster into something legally easier to claim. This isn’t a new pattern. Researchers first documented Amazon fire and deforestation decoupling nearly a decade ago, noting that even as annual deforestation rates dropped sharply, the occurrence of fire itself did not decline in step [3]. In 2026 that pattern is intensifying.
Timing makes this worse
Right now, August through October is the Amazon’s dry season, when fire risk typically peaks. This year that ordinary seasonal risk is stacked on top of an unfolding El Niño, historically the single biggest driver of severe Amazon drought and fire years. The 2024 Amazon drought, one of the worst on record, was compounded by El Niño conditions [4].
Forecasts for the exact strength of the current event vary in their specifics: NOAA puts the odds of it becoming a “very strong” event at around 80%, while Ecuador’s CIIFEN estimates roughly 69% odds that it will surpass previous records [5]. Forecasters broadly agree this is shaping up to be a major event, not a weak one, with some projecting it could be the strongest in over 150 years [6]. What forecasters largely agree on is the timing: fire risk is elevated in 2026 as El Niño develops, but the most severe impacts typically lag by about a year, putting the highest risk of a record-breaking fire season in the second half of 2027 [7].
The seasonal forecast for September–November 2026 shows widespread warm anomalies in the equatorial Pacific, with sectors exceeding +3°C, reinforcing the signal of a high-intensity El Niño event. Source: NMME Ensemble Average, CIIFEN.
Intact forests are resilient
Its own humidity suppresses fire spread. What burns is forest that’s already been opened up — fragments with drier, more fire-prone edges, sitting right next to frequently burned pasture and regrowth [8].
Photo: Pedro Peloso
A large-scale, decade-long burn experiment in the southeastern Amazon tested this directly [9]. Intact forest can shrug off a single low-intensity fire. But repeated burning during drought is a different story: it kills most of the trees, cuts canopy cover roughly in half, and lets invasive grasses move in. Forest edges fare worst of all, because that’s exactly where the drying and grass invasion are already most advanced.
The encouraging counterpoint: forest that stays intact keeps that natural resistance. A newer study found that even forests degraded by fire, drought, and windstorms in the southeastern Amazon can recover if left free of new disturbance — though the regrown forest remains more fragile against the next fire or drought [10]. Intact forest resists. Damaged forest doesn’t recover fully before the next hit.
Guard Posts are a shield against deforestation
Within the Kayapo’s roughly 11-million-hectare territorial bloc, we can compare the 9.4 million hectares that receive organized NGO-backed monitoring investment against the 1.2 million hectares that don’t — and deforestation hotspots cluster overwhelmingly in that smaller, unmonitored slice [11] [12].
The mechanism behind that pattern is straightforward: the Kayapo’s surveillance program covers more than nine million hectares through 16 guard posts placed at vulnerable entry points, functioning as both a physical deterrent and a signal that the territory is actively defended [11]. Those monitoring teams are credited with helping prevent the illegal logging, mining, and land invasion that would otherwise open the forest up: the exact process that turns fire-resistant forest into fire-vulnerable edge.
The Capoto guard post.
A Pykatoti guard team beside the official government sign marking the border of Menkragnoti territory.
The bottom line
Fire is increasingly the tool of choice on the Amazon’s frontier. This year’s dry season is landing on top of a developing El Niño whose worst effects, if the last two events are any guide, are still a year out. What determines whether a given hectare of forest survives that combination isn’t luck — it’s whether it stayed intact and defended, or got opened up first. Guard posts and territorial monitoring are one of the few interventions with a documented track record of keeping that first domino from falling.
- Mongabay, “Amazon deforestation alerts fall to lowest level since 2013, Brazilian data show” (August 2026)
- Inside Climate News, “Amazon Deforestation at Eight-Year Low, Report Shows” (May 2026)
- Aragão, L.E.O.C. et al., “21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions,” Nature Communications (2018)
- PBS News, “Extreme drought, wildfires and deforestation battered the Amazon rainforest in 2024”
- Meteored, “CIIFEN confirma: El Niño se fortalece, con 69% de probabilidad de superar récords” (2026); Nature, “A ‘super’ El Niño could transform the Amazon. Is the world’s biggest rainforest doomed?” (2026), citing NOAA’s ~80% odds of a “very strong” event
- AccuWeather, “The 2026 El Niño could become the strongest in a lifetime”
- Amazon Conservation Association, “A New Twist On El Niño: The Bigger Impacts Will Come In 2027”
- Yale School of the Environment, “Amazon Forests Can Recover From Fire — With Some Caveats”
- University of Colorado Boulder, “Decade-long Amazon rainforest burn yields new insight into wildfire vulnerabilities” (2015)
- “Forest recovery pathways after fire, drought, and windstorms in southeastern Amazonia,” PNAS (2026)
- Kayapo Project, “Defend”
- Biome Conservation / ICFC, “Kayapo Project”
The Ancient Trails Project
The expedition was one of the first field activities of the Ancestral Trails project, approved under the Amazon+10 initiative. Coordinated by the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), the project is developed in partnership with the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM), the University of São Paulo (USP), the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), the Federal University of Mato Grosso (Unemat) and the Protected Forest Association (AFP). The Amazon +10 initiative also has the support of the State Research Support Foundations (FAPs) of Mato Grosso (FAPEMAT), São Paulo (FAPESP), Amazonas (FAPEAM), and Pará (FAPESPA).
The project seeks to revisit historically important paths from a socio-environmental perspective to better understand the biodiversity of mammals, birds, and aquatic fauna in the context of regional agroextractivist production systems, considering different contexts of conservation and threat to natural resources.
From Kubenkàhnkej to Kokraimoro
The first expedition was carried out between May 31 and June 10, 2026 and its main objective was to reopen an old trail used by the Kayapó people, connecting the Kubenkàhnkej village, on the banks of the Riozinho River, to the Xingu River region, near the Kokraimoro village. The route, approximately 90 kilometers long, represents an important record of the history of occupation and circulation in the territory.
Two teams traveled between the rivers, —the Xingu Team and the Riozinho Team — starting from opposite ends of the trails The teams were composed of Kayapó indigenous and non-indigenous collaborators, including men and women of different age groups. The two teams walked towards the meeting point, reconstructing the ancestral path.
Throughout the expedition, in addition to the reopening of the trail, traditionally managed Brazil nut trees, old areas of Indigenous occupation and traces of local fauna were identified and recorded. As part of the project’s scientific protocol, camera traps were also installed to inventory the region’s biodiversity.
The route revealed an expressive diversity of Amazonian environments, including upland forests with large trees and open understory, old scrublands with dense vegetation and an abundance of lianas, shoal areas dominated by palm trees and waterlogged soils, as well as igapós subject to flooding during the rainy season.
More than reopening a trail, the expedition strengthened the exchange between traditional knowledge and scientific research, laying the foundations for the next stages of the project. The information obtained will be fundamental for the planning of the main expedition, scheduled for the first half of 2027, when the team will be expanded with researchers from the areas of anthropology, archeology, ecology and other specialties.
A week at the heart of the Bákra Forest School
I think it must have been difficult to name Bákra: The Kayapó Forest School, because it is so many things at once. It is a school, but it is also a thriving ecosystem that lifts up elders, creates equitable jobs, and builds community through shared joy.
Each week, a new group of 20–30 Kayapó arrived at Kamotidjam — and then at the Bàkra campus, Kajgodjam, once it was ready to host them — and they arrived in force. The elders always arrived enthusiastic and ready to hit the ground running, decked out in their traditional attire: feather headdresses, beaded bracelets, armbands and necklaces, painted in vibrant jenipapo, the Amazonian fruit traditionally used by Indigenous peoples to stain their skin.
With each group, we did a round of introductions to start. I thought it was endearing how each of the elders would stand up and make a large speech about how they were excited to be there and the importance of the program — and then each of the students would stand up and shyly whisper their name and the name of their village.
Faces marked in Jenipapo and urucum,
Bákra worked on an intense schedule of activities, driven by what the elders wanted to teach and where they wanted to take their students. A typical week looked like this.
A week at the forest school
Tents, the circle, and the first story
The group arrived in the afternoon from their villages. After everybody set up their tents and settled in, we formed a conversation circle so that everyone could introduce themselves, and our Indigenous coordinators presented the schedule, rules, and expectations of the program. We passed out the t-shirts and student kits while the cooks started preparing dinner. An elder would often tell a traditional story on this first night.
Jenipapo, then into the forest
The people who didn’t arrive already fully painted would paint each other in jenipapo in preparation for entering the forest. They would often paint me as well. I loved the process, and it was always exciting to see what design they would come up with — I rarely wore the same one for very long, as the stain faded pretty quickly, and one of our coordinators, Bekwykukati, would always call me over to redo my paint when it started to fade from my face. In Kayapó culture, many people prefer to be painted before dancing, so it was essential to paint everybody at the start of the program, because there was lots of dancing to come.
Getting painted with Urucum was a part of every morning before heading out into the forest.
After everybody got painted, our coordinator — or a returning student who knew how to use the cameras and camera traps — gave a brief lesson before we ventured into the forest, usually to a mud pit to install the traps. The elders led the group and pointed out animal paths or hotspots that would make good locations. The students verified that each camera had enough battery and a SIM card installed before deploying them on tree trunks, low to the ground.
Once everybody had their cameras installed, we headed back to camp to eat lunch and relax before the afternoon handicraft — usually the men doing one activity and the women another. The women might paint fabric with their traditional designs while the men wove baskets or other items. After dinner, the whole group might dance together under the stars or around a fire.
Ronko, the Piti tree, and the drones
In the morning we set out early — usually by boat, then on foot — to one of a variety of traditional sites. One was Ronko, an abundant grove of coco de babaçu, a delicious food that tasted a bit like coconut and was also used to make oil for hair or cooking. The grove was home to an enormous Piti tree where we would often do traditional dances and sing traditional songs.
There was also a nice clearing that was great for teaching the students how to launch and collect the drones. We would try to get an aerial view of the site and talk about why it was important and how drones can be used for territorial monitoring. The elders usually stuck to the back of the group, collecting plants and barks that might be useful as medicines or in that afternoon’s handicrafts — and if we came across an açaí tree, people took turns trying to climb it to cut down the fruits at the top.
Later, after lunch, the women would often bead, crochet, or prepare a traditional meal like Berarubu, while the men made a feather headdress or a wooden war club. At night, the whole group gathered by the fire as an elder told a traditional story. My favorite was the one about the man who fell in love with a woman in the stars, who eventually brought down all the good foods they enjoy eating today — manioc, pumpkin, and papaya.
An elder teaching the girls how to crochet the traditional leg bands that the young children wear.
Berarubu in the making — manioc flour and meat folded into banana leaves, hands working together across generations.
Layering and wrapping the parcel before it goes to the coals.
What the cameras caught
In the morning we set out to collect the camera traps from the first day, and everybody came back into camp itching to see the photos. We would pull them up on a laptop and the whole group gathered around to ooh and ahh at everything the cameras caught. It was exciting to see the biodiversity we captured in just four days — tapirs, anteaters, a variety of birds, and, surprisingly for me, deer similar to those I saw in my backyard growing up in Virginia.
Registering students for the Forest School.
After coffee and breakfast, the group departed — and we reset for the next one.
What eight weeks held
Eight weeks of this schedule was a lot. A lot of personal growth, a lot of immersion within the Mebengôkre-Kayapó culture, a lot of time to practice speaking Mebengôkre, and a lot of opportunity to actually form relationships with the people whose association I had been working in for the past year.
The importance of this program is undeniable. The passing down of culture and tradition has stagnated — young women struggling to climb the açaí trees their grandmothers scale with ease, young men not knowing the words to their traditional songs.
Indigenous-Led Conservation: Matt's Journey to Kayapo Territory
May 18–19 · Washington DC to Peixoto de Azevedo
I had the pleasure to participate in several institutional strengthening and governance meetings with two partner Kayapo associations, the Instituto Raoni and Instituto Kabu. My IR meetings took place at their headquarters in Peixoto de Azevedo and IK during their annual general assembly in the village of Pykany.
Traveling to these meetings is not easy. First, I connected on a series of flights from DC → Panama → Brasilia, where I was able to meet (and rest) briefly with Dr. Adriano Jerozlimski, Director, Kayapo Project in Brasil.
The Journey Begins
Early the morning of May 19, I flew to Sinop, a medium sized city in the state of Mato Grosso, the heartland of the Brazilian industrial agricultural sector, where I met my uber driver Andre and we headed north on the BR-163, the “Soybean Highway.” 4 hours and 200km later, we arrived in Peixoto de Azevedo. Along the road, corn pellets flew from the back of large trucks and battered the windshield of the Chevrolet Montana. In Peixoto, gold mining is 90% of the economy and statues all over the town pay tribute to the economic past time:
A billboard on the edge of town addresses the gold-mining debate.
A statue honoring the garimpeiro, the local gold prospector.
Gold-buying storefronts light up downtown at dusk.
That afternoon, the Instituto Raoni was unable to meet. Cacique Raoni had fallen ill and they were meeting with his team of doctors to arrange for the best possible treatment. We made arrangements to meet the following day in the office.
May 18–19 · Washington DC to Peixoto de Azevedo
Meeting the Instituto Raoni
The Instituto Raoni is a small building off the BR- 163. The offices and rooms inside are organized by department. There is a room for the executive team, the communications team, the finance team, the women’s department and the bioeconomy and sales team. I spent my first day with IR meeting the team and co-working with the Bioeconomy and sales team. For me, this was a special moment. I started working with the Kayapo in 2014 and joined the Kayapo Project team in 2023. These were my first minutes with IR outside the pressure of an assembly, budget, or project meeting. Having some informal time to be present with the team, get to know the personalities, hobbies, and spaces they navigate will be incredibly helpful as we continue to work together and collaborate.
At IR with bio economy and women's departments
A trophy case inside the Instituto Raoni headquarters.
Products from IR’s bioeconomy and sales department.
I worked with the IR team for the next three days, spending time in conversation and at lunch with the finance and executive teams, discuss how we can best support IR’s territorial and cultural conservation initiatives, how to improve dialogue and process, and also sharing ideas around future initiatives with the IR such as the Kayapo Forest School, currently in operation along the Xingu and Riozinho Rivers.
On Friday May 22nd, the whole team was in the office and I gave a short presentation on Biome Conservation, The Kayapo Project in general and a few of the initiatives I work on such as the forest school, field course, and a media at the guard posts. The leadership team and others who had just returned from the Pykany village, where I would be headed in a few days, joined me. To round out my visit, I had a chance to visit with Cacique Raoni, thank him for his leadership, and wish him a speedy recovery.
With the IR team and Kayapo leaders in Peixoto de Azevedo.
Presenting on Biome Conservation and The Kayapo Project, with Cacique Raoni in attendance.
The Road to Pykany | BR-163
From Peixoto to Pykany
From Peixoto I was back on the Soy highway, this time traveling with Brasilia-based Kayapo project colleague Igor Richwin Ferreira toward the village of Pykany for the annual assembly of the Instituto Kabu. 250 km later, we arrived to the town of Castelo dos Sonhos, historically a hotbed of deforestation activity.
Concerned about driving through the forest at night to Pykany, we stayed in a hotel. In the morning, we met up with colleagues from the Instituto Socioambiental and began the journey from the town to the forest, watching the landscape change from dusty frontier town to ranchlands to close canopy forest. Along the way, we stopped for coffee and conversation at one of the 19 Kayapo Guard posts, navigated a precarious wooden bridge, and passed through a set of small villages along the dirt road to Pykany in the heart of the TI Menkragnoti.
A signpost marking the villages along the route, Pykany included.
Crossing one of the precarious wooden bridges along the way.
The landscape closes into dense canopy forest en route to Pykany.
Pykany Village I TI Menkragnoti
The Instituto Kabu General Assembly
The general assemblies are an opportunity for the leadership of the represented communities to come together to learn about the previous year’s activities, deliberate, discuss and approve the budget and activities for the coming year. It is also one of the only times that all the Kayapo leadership is in the same place at the same time with their external collaborators. These events are a unique opportunity to absorb the full spectrum of Kayapo initiatives, particularly those that sit outside the portfolio of Biome and the Kayapo Project. I met IK leadership, community leaders, and institutional peers to discuss ways we can all work together toward the mission of Kayapo territorial and cultural protection.
During the meeting, I presented to a large audience of Kayapo chiefs, once again sharing the work of Biome and the Kayapo Project including the territorial monitoring and surveillance program, the Kayapo Forest School, and opportunities for tourism and exchange with IK communities. My presentation was reinforced by Patkore and other representatives from the Protected Forest Association, who added details and cultural clarifications to my conversation. I am pleased to say that the Instituto Kabu has approved the implementation of the Kayapo Forest School in 2027 to complement their other initiatives.
Presenting Biome and Kayapo Project initiatives.
Kayapo leaders gathered in full traditional dress for the assembly.
May 30 | The Journey Home
Reflections on The Road Back
It takes three days to get home. First a long drive back from the forest to Castelo dos Sonhos. Then, the full 450km return trip, once again having the truck assaulted by fragments of corn and soy along the BR-163. A night in Sinop followed by planes from Sinop→Brasilia→Panama and finally Washington DC. Over the three days I was struck by a few important concepts:
The Kayapo Project is Indigenous-led Conservation
It is the Kayapo and their representative association who are implementing the programs, taking the risks, and putting in the hard work. Our job must be to leverage our positions to amplify their stories and provide the necessary support for success.
The Kayapo Project is a vast local → global ecosystem of collaboration and projects.
Not just in my visits, but also in the stories of our Kayapo collaborators. While I was there, I met a colleague from Greenpeace who was arranging a trip for Kayapo representatives to visit Europe for support. In the past, I’ve met folks from the German Embassy, Conservation International, Re:wild and other peers working to support the Kayapo. The work also covers a full spectrum of activities from sewing and artisan projects to environmental reviews of the potential train that may run alongside the BR-163.
The Kayapo are uniquely threatened and conservation can only go so far.
The regional economies are overwhelmingly anchored in intensive, extractive activities such as mining, logging, and agriculture. Without providing alternative economic activities to the Kayapo and their Brazilian neighbors, the threat on Kayapo lands will persist.
The Kayapo Project Team is an incredible, international, intercultural group.
Every time I visit the Kayapo Project partners, I am in awe of the intercultural and professional skills of our Brazil-based colleagues who work day (and night) in and out to ensure that the projects move forward. Their phones are an endless stream of voice notes and messages with an infinite set of demands and questions.
– Matthew Aruch
Support the Kayapo
For more information or to support the Kayapo, please contact Matthew Aruch
Large Scale Conservation
Kayapo territory, spanning approximately 9.4 million hectares across the southeastern Amazon, is one of the largest continuously protected Indigenous forest landscapes on Earth. Here, the forest is not a fragment. It is whole, connected, and alive.
Stability at Scale
Across the Amazon and beyond, once-continuous ecosystems are being fragmented into smaller and smaller patches broken apart by roads, agriculture, mining, and expanding infrastructure. What remains are often isolated fragments, no longer large enough to sustain the full systems that once thrived there. But in some places, the original scale still exists.
For decades, the Kayapo people have defended their lands against encroaching deforestation: from illegal logging and gold mining to expanding agriculture. Through strong governance systems, including territorial monitoring and guard posts, they have maintained the integrity of their forest across millions of hectares.
This continuity creates stability across a vast, intact landscape. It allows the forest to function as a system, not just a collection of trees, but a living, interconnected whole. And it is precisely this kind of large-scale stability that makes forests so important for climate stability.
Kayapo territory stores an estimated 720 million metric tons of above-ground carbon. Keeping this carbon locked in trees and soils helps prevent massive greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise accelerate climate change.
Large forest systems are more resilient to drought, fire, and external pressures. When protected over time, they provide a form of climate security that smaller, fragmented forests cannot.
Kayapo Territory seen from space, surrounded by forest fires.
Life Needs Space
Wide-ranging species like jaguars depend on vast territories to hunt, reproduce, and maintain healthy populations. Their presence signals something deeper: a complete and functioning food web beneath them. From large herbivores like tapirs and peccaries to birds, fish, and countless smaller species, each layer of life depends on the others.
In fragmented forests, these relationships begin to break down. Species lose the ability to move, populations become isolated, and ecological balance is lost.
In Kayapo territory, the scale of the landscape allows life to move freely. Rivers like the Xingu and Iriri still run largely undisturbed, supporting rich aquatic ecosystems. Forests remain connected across vast distances, enabling species to roam, adapt, and thrive.
The rainforest creates its rain
Through evapotranspiration, trees release vast amounts of water vapor into the atmosphere, recycling moisture and feeding clouds. This process sustains rainfall locally and helps transport moisture deep into the continent through what we call “flying rivers.” These aerial flows carry water across thousands of kilometers, influencing rainfall patterns far beyond the forest itself.
Large, intact forests are essential to this system. When forests are fragmented or degraded, this moisture cycle weakens, with potential impacts on ecosystems and agriculture across South America.
As one of the largest intact forest blocks in the southeastern Amazon, Kayapo territory plays a critical role in maintaining this hydrological system. Its scale helps ensure that the forest continues to function as a living engine of water and climate.
Kayapo territory shows that when forests remain whole, they function as stable, living systems that sustain climate, biodiversity, and water cycles. Protecting forests at scale is about maintaining the conditions that make life on Earth possible.
The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation launches a new partnership with Associação Floresta Protegida
Safeguarding Indigenous Land and Culture: Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Announces Partners with the Associação Floresta Protegida and the Kayapo People in the Brazilian Amazon
The Mebêngôkre-Kayapó-led Associação Floresta Protegida (AFP – Protected Forest Association) and the Kayapo Project are pleased to announce a new partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s Forest and Communities Initiative (FCI). This collaboration will help strengthen the Kayapó people’s long-standing efforts to safeguard approximately 9.4 million hectares of tropical forest across six federally demarcated Indigenous Territories in south-central Pará and northern Mato Grosso.
Home to nearly 12,000 people, these lands form a vital ecological barrier against deforestation in one of the most threatened regions of the Amazon Basin. Together, The Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation and the AFP will fortify the protection of Kayapo culture and lands through community-led education and territorial monitoring and surveillance programs.
From 2026-2028, the FCI will work with the AFP and the Kayapo Project to support and implement the Kayapo Forest School to prepare the next generation of Kayapo leaders. Each year, the Kayapo Forest School will provide hundreds of Kayapo youth a five-day field program that integrates traditional Indigenous knowledge with conservation technologies such as drones and camera traps. Each year of the partnership, the Kayapo Forest school will expand to other regions of the Kayapo managed Indigenous lands.
At the same time, the FCI will support the Kayapo territorial monitoring and surveillance guard post program. The guard post program trains and employs more than 1,500 Kayapo guardians to protect more than 2200km of Kayapo border from invasion. The guard posts are a clear signal that the Kayapo are organized and prepared to protect their territory from land invasions.
Together, these initiatives will ensure that Kayapo lands and culture are safeguarded for future generations.
Patkore Kayapo, President of AFP said: “The Forests and Communities Initiative provides important resources directly to Indigenous associations and communities. The partnership with the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation will provide essential support for the protection of Kayapo culture, rivers, lands, and biodiversity. The partnership reinforces durable Indigenous governance and autonomy.”
Romain Ciarlet, Vice-Chairman and CEO, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, added: “Protecting the world’s forests requires strong partnerships with those who have safeguarded them for generations. Indigenous peoples are not only guardians of biodiversity; they are key actors in the global response to climate and environmental challenges. Through the Forests and Communities Initiative, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is committed to strengthening Indigenous-led conservation by supporting local governance, education and territorial protection.”
About the Forests and Communities Initiative
The mission of the Forests and Communities Initiative is to support conservation of forest ecosystems through the action of indigenous peoples and local communities (IP and LCs) and through the development of a supporting network of actors providing a multidisciplinary set of expertise. To learn more about the Forests and Communities Initiative, visit www.forestsandcommunitiesinitiative.org.
About the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
Founded by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco in 2006, the Foundation is a global non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing planetary health for current and future generations. It co-creates initiatives and supports hundreds of projects in three priority areas: the Mediterranean Basin, the Polar Regions, and the Least Developed Countries (as classified by the United Nations). Its key missions include preserving endangered species, protecting freshwater ecosystems, developing a sustainable blue economy, and supporting the younger generations.
About the Kayapo Project
The Kayapo Project, a flagship program of Biome Conservation, is an Indigenous-led NGO alliance ensuring Mebêngôkre-Kayapo (Kayapo) cultural, economic, political, and territorial autonomy over more than nine million hectares of federally demarcated Indigenous lands located in the highly threatened southeastern Amazon. For more on the Kayapo Project, visit kayapo.org.
About Associação Floresta Protegida
The Associacao Floresta Protegida is an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization based in Tucumã, in the Brazilian State of Pará. The AFP works with 43 communities in the Kayapo, Menkragnoti, and Las Casas Indigenous Territories. Visit florestaprotegida.org.br to learn more.
Reflection on My First Four Months in Brazil with the Kayapo Project
This article was originally published online by the Dartmouth College Center for Social Impact.
Hi! My name is Claire Wigglesworth ’25, and I am a Lewin Fellow working with the Kayapo Project’s Associação Floresta Protegida (AFP – Protected Forests Association) in Pará, Brazil. The Kayapo Project supports Mebengokre Kayapo autonomy and culture, work that also contributes to protecting an enormous expanse of territory within Brazil’s arc of deforestation.
From Conservation Studies to Community Work
I’ve long been drawn to conservation and environmental protection work. Before coming to Dartmouth, I worked with two AmeriCorps conservation corps. Although I majored in Biology and minored in Environmental Studies, I realized during my junior year that I wanted to support local, grassroots initiatives through NGO work, not just study ecosystems without interacting with communities.
When I learned about the Lewin Fellowship, I saw the perfect pathway to do that. The fellowship allowed me to collaborate directly with a locally led organization – one I otherwise couldn’t have worked with, and to contribute my skills in a meaningful, community-centered way.
I had read about the Kayapo Project before, so I reached out to my now-advisor, Matt Aruch, Director of Indigenous Programs at Biome Conservation (a North American partner of AFP). He was enthusiastic about the possibility of me spending the year with AFP and highlighted two major areas where I could contribute: strengthening communications between the partner organizations and supporting the ecotourism and education programs. Both of these programs prioritize Kayapo leadership and decision-making, with key planning happening at large annual assemblies of village chiefs and representatives.
Connecting with the Kayapo Project
I had read about the Kayapo Project before, so I reached out to my now-advisor, Matt Aruch, Director of Indigenous Programs at Biome Conservation (a North American partner of AFP). He was enthusiastic about the possibility of me spending the year with AFP and highlighted two major areas where I could contribute: strengthening communications between the partner organizations and supporting the ecotourism and education programs. Both of these programs prioritize Kayapo leadership and decision-making, with key planning happening at large annual assemblies of village chiefs and representatives.
First Experiences in Kayapo Territory
Soon after graduation, it was time to move to Tucumã, a small town near the Kayapo territory. Before beginning my fellowship work, I participated in the Field Course Program, which brings university students to A’ukre, one of the Kayapó villages, for an international exchange. This experience was invaluable.
It grounded me in the history of the project and allowed me to learn about Kayapo culture through everyday life: storytelling around the fire, daily river baths, fishing, and long walks together in the forest to Brazil nut groves and Mahogany stands.
At the same time, it was impossible to ignore the pressures facing Indigenous communities in Brazil. On the eight-hour bus ride from Marabá to Tucumã, hundreds of miles of formerly pristine rainforest, now pasture, flashed by the windows. Later, flying by small prop plane into the territory, we could see the vast mining operations pressing up against the border of Kayapo lands.
In later conversations with Kayapo leaders, I learned about aggressive offers from miners and loggers to pillage their territory in exchange for pennies, as well as proposals for questionable carbon credit deals.
Rethinking Conservation
When I finally arrived in Tucumã to begin my fellowship, I expected to jump straight into my planned project. Instead, I was encouraged to slow down, accompany others in their work, and learn first: learn how to work with the Kayapo, how meetings are conducted, and how relationships and trust shape every aspect of collaboration.
This slower start, I’ve realized, has been essential for understanding the deeper context of the work and for beginning to contribute in a respectful and effective way.
This experience has reshaped my definition of what effective conservation work actually means and pushed me to question a lot of American ideals of community and work.
This experience has reshaped my definition of what effective conservation work actually means and pushed me to question a lot of American ideals of community and work.
The pillars of conservation in the US are our national park system, a system that only permits use for recreation and is almost entirely situated on indigenous land. It’s a system that has a history of excluding indigenous people. In contrast, The Kayapo Project has achieved an incredible level of success by supporting indigenous people in living their traditional way.
I think that going forward, it would be impossible for me to work on any conservation project without thinking about who the original owners of the land are and whether or not they are being included in land management and decision making. This experience has certainly challenged my ideas of what effective conservation means. My thoughts now have changed more to mean that conserved land can still be in use.
Looking Ahead
Looking forward to the rest of the year, I am preparing for the forest school sessions. The forest school teaches a combination of traditional knowledge rooted in the local environment as well as modern technologies useful in the fight for territorial protection such as drones, camera traps and cameras.
We are working to create lesson plans that include the youth participants in dialogues about current AFP projects with plans to film these lessons for future use during the school sessions this year.
I’m planning to spend about a month in the field for the forest school programming as well as other trips in and out supporting several ecotourism trips. Additionally, I’ll be starting to teach English lessons to the indigenous staff at AFP interested in learning which will help them better communicate with foreign tourists and foreign donors.
Jaguars Thrive on Kayapo Land
Jaguars thrive on Kayapo Land
Jaguars are one of the most emblematic apex predators of South America and despite their historic range stretching from Mexico to Argentina they face mounting threats. Their survival is jeopardized by habitat fragmentation, over-hunting of their prey, and growing conflict with farmers. As we approach International Jaguar Day, it’s more important than ever to highlight places where jaguars are still thriving. One of those strongholds lies in the Southeast Amazon, under the guardianship of the Kayapo people.
Nine million hectares of continuous, unfragmented forest: that’s what it takes for apex predators to thrive.
Jaguars Need Space
Apex predators like jaguars need vast, uninterrupted territories to roam, hunt, and reproduce. This is where the Kayapo’s Indigenous land becomes critically important. Their territory covers around 9 million hectares of pristine, primary rainforest — a continuous, non-fragmented block that provides the scale jaguars require to maintain healthy populations.
Located in southeast Amazonia, this Kayapo territory is under constant pressure from industrial agriculture, logging, and mining. Yet by protecting this massive block, the Kayapo not only conserve jaguar habitat, but also maintain ecological connectivity. Their land helps link together other critical Indigenous landscapes — including territories extending toward the Xingu Indigenous Park (Parque Indígena do Xingu) upstream along the Xingu River.
Jaguars Need Food
Space alone isn’t enough — jaguars also depend on abundant prey. The Kayapo people have lived in these forests for millennia, managing resources sustainably and with restraint. Their traditional patterns of hunting are low-impact; they take only what is needed and respect the balance of wildlife populations.
To enforce that balance, the Kayapo maintain a network of guard posts and community patrols. These act as a real deterrent to poachers, illegal fishers, and other outside threats. As a result, prey species remain abundant, meaning jaguars have plenty of food — a sign of a healthy, functioning ecosystem.
Abundant prey and healthy jaguars are proof of a thriving, well-protected ecosystem.
Follow Their Tracks
One of the most exciting ways to understand jaguar ecology is through camera trapping. By placing motion-triggered cameras in carefully selected locations, we can “catch” jaguars (and their prey) on film — without disturbing them.
For a hands-on experience, consider joining our Field Course in 2026. You’ll head into the field to place camera traps, interpret tracks, and learn how this powerful tool is used across the Amazon to monitor wildlife.
External pressures such as deforestation, fires, illegal incursions continue to mount on Kayapo's borders. That’s why International Jaguar Day is a moment to mobilize support for the work of Indigenous Peoples.
Indigenous Leadership at COP30: Kayapo Voice for the Amazon
The Kayapo and their representatives will participate in events across the Blue Zone, Green Zone, and parallel spaces throughout COP30, bringing the voice of the forest directly to the world stage. The Kayapo Project will be there to help shape a COP30 where:
World leaders recognize the critical role the Kayapo and other Indigenous Peoples play in global climate action.
Kayapo voices and perspectives are included in discussions shaping climate policy.
Kayapo leaders have a platform to share their experiences as a leading example of Indigenous leadership in conservation and climate action.
Kayapo Project at COP30
Ongoing coverage from the Kayapo delegation
Doto Takakire
President
Instituto Kabu
doto@kabu.org.br
Whatsapp: +55 94 981310030
Junio Esslei
Executive Coordinator
contato@kabu.org.br
Mayalu Waurá Txucarramãe
Executive manager
Instituto Raoni
coordenacaoexecutiva1@institutoraoni.org.br
Whatsapp: +55 66 999291301
Beptuk Metuktire
Manager
Instituto Raoni
beptuk@institutoraoni.org.br
Patkore Kayapó
President
Associação Floresta Protegida
patkorekayapo@florestaprotegida.org.br
Whatsapp: +55 94 984049636
Thiago Schinaider
Executive Coordinator
Associação Floresta Protegida
schinaider@florestaprotegida.org
Whatsapp:
Matthew Aruch
Director Indigenous Conservation Programs
Biome Conservation
aruch@biomeconservation.org
Adriano Jerozolimski
Director Kayapo Project, Brazil
Biome Conservation
pingo@biomeconservation.org
Whatsapp: +55 94 991525726
November 11
1/ ⏱️ 18:00 – 19:00
CISAM: Vozes Amazônicas e Ciência Colaborativa para a Ação Climática Esta proposta enfatiza o papel do CISAM como um espaço inclusivo de colaboração entre cientistas, povos indígenas, comunidades tradicionais, jovens e a sociedade civil para construir soluções coletivas e sustentáveis diante das mudanças climáticas. O objetivo é inspirar o público da Green Zone, mostrando experiências concretas do CISAM que aliam pesquisa científica, educação e saberes locais, reforçando a necessidade de ações enraizadas na Amazônia para gerar impactos globais.
Prédio da Economia Criativa, Zona Verde
November 12
1/ ⏱️ 13:15 – 2:45pm (Tentative)
Climate Change & Biodiversity Loss: Leveraging COP30 outcomes in Belem for CBD COP 17 in Yerevan
Side Event Room 9, Zona Azul
2/ ⏱️ 14:00 – 15:00
Interciências para conservação ambiental e combate às mudanças: relações entre conhecimento tradicional e científico
Moderação: Leandro Juen
Painelistas: James Moura (UNILAB) Bruno Martinelli (MCTI) Renata Pinheiro (CI) Doto Takak Ire (Instituto Kabu) Páscoa Sarmentola – representação Quilombola
📍UFPA stand, Blue Zone
November 13
1/ ⏱️14:25 – 15:15
Redes transnacionais para conservação e ação climática nas Terras Indígenas Mebengokre-Kayapó
Pavilhão do Círculo dos Povos, Zona Verde
November 14
1/ ⏱️ 14:00 – 16:00
Mercados e Investimentos – Aliados da Sociobioeconomia da Amazônia”
O painel reunirá parceiros multissetoriais que impulsionam um modelo econômico baseado na ética, na equidade, na inovação e na sustentabilidade. Nosso objetivo é promover o diálogo e a construção de soluções colaborativas em torno da sociobioeconomia, fortalecendo caminhos para um desenvolvimento sustentável e inclusivo.
📍 Casa Niaré – R. Bernal do Couto, 791, Umarizal – Belém/PA
2/ ⏱️ 18:00 – 19:00
Histórias de Sucesso: Amazônia e Comunidades
Objetivo: Encerrar o dia com relatos inspiradores de iniciativas comunitárias de conservação, restauração e turismo sustentável.
Moderação: Thaísa Michelan.
Participantes: Associação Yakyô (Povos Panará). Doto Takak Ire – Instituto Kabu (Povos Kayapó). Renata Pinheiro (CI) – James Moura (CAPACREAM)
📍 UFPA stand, Blue Zone
November 15
1/ ⏱️8:00 – 12:00
Marcha Global
Mercado de Sao Bras
2/ ⏱️15:00-16:00
Standing Forests, Agreements in Practice: Dialogue between Chief Raoni and Climate Negotiators
Climate Funds Pavillion #C83 Blue Zone
3/ ⏱️ 18:30 – 19:20
Fortalecimento institucional de organizações locais como estratégia para o enfrentamento da crise climática em territórios indígenas: o caso dos Kayapó
Sala Castanheira, Para Pavilion, Zona Verde
November 17
1/ Marcha Indigena ‘A resposta somos nos’
UFPA
2/ ⏱️ 10:00 – 11:00
Proteção das terras indígenas e operações de desintrusão e governança territorial: avanços, desafios e interfaces com a crise climática
Ministerio dos Povos Indigenas, Samauma, Zona Azul
3/ ⏱️ 18:00 – 19:00
Conexões de campo: ciência + comunidades
Encerrar o dia celebrando experiências que unem pesquisadores, povos tradicionais e juventudes em ações de conservação e educação.
Moderação: Bruno Martinelli (MCTI)
Painelistas: Doto Takak Ire Instituto Kabu (Povos Kayapó) Associação Yakyô (Povos Panará) CI ISA
November 18
1/ ⏱️ 9:00 -12:00
Menire – as mulheres do povo Mebêngôkre-Kayapó: RESISTÊNCIA, LUTA E ESPERANÇA DA FLORESTA
CONFERÊNCIA NACIONAL DOS BISPOS DO BRASIL REGIONAL NORTE II (PARÁ E AMAPÁ
Trav. Barão do Triunfo, Nº 3151 – Belém – Pará, Casa Parallelo
2/ ⏱️16:30 – 17:20
“Vozes da Amazônia: Perspectivas Indígenas sobre o Clima e Soluções baseadas na Natureza”
Casa Vozes do Oceano, Casa Parallelo
November 19
⏱️8:30 às 12:00
⏱️13:30 às 17:30
Oficina de Bioenonomia.
Casa Niaré -R. Bernal do Couto, 791 – Umarizal, Belém
Programação
🕒 17:00 p.m. – 18:00 p.m
Painel: Proteção dos Territórios Indígenas e o Enfrentamento da Crise Climática
Painelistas:
– SEDAT/MPI Funai IBAMA UNODC Associação Floresta Protegida (Kayapó) Wakoborun (Munduruku)
🗓 Data: 19 de novembro de 2025
📍Lugar: Aldeia Cop
👉 Organização: Ministério dos Povos Indígena
The journey to COP30 is underway — more to come soon.
MEET THE MEBENGOKRE-KAYAPO
The Mebengokre-Kayapó people inhabit one of the largest Indigenous territories in the world, in the southeastern Amazon, between the southern state of Pará and the northern state of Mato Grosso. About 12,000 Kayapó people currently inhabit almost 100 villages located in six federally demarcated Indigenous Territories (Badjônkore, Baú, Capoto/Jarina, Kayapó, Las Casas, and Menkragnoti), totaling an area of approximately 11 million hectares in south-central Pará and northern Mato Grosso at what is known as the “arc of deforestation.”
In recent decades, the Kayapo experienced enormous pressure with the arrival of roads, hydroelectric dams, the opening of large farms, illegal mining, and the exploitation of minerals and timber. In this context, between the 1980s and the early 2000s, visionary Kayapo leaders fought to obtain official recognition and permanent, exclusive rights over a contiguous block of their traditional territories. In the early 2000s, the Kayapo established alliances with international NGOs that helped to create and strengthen their own institutions that values Indigenous knowledge and the sustainable use of the forest and the cerrado (Brazilian savanna). This Indigenous-led NGO network became known as the Kayapo Project.
ABOUT THE KAYAPO PROJECT
The Kayapo Project is an Indigenous-led NGO alliance supporting Kayapo cultural, economic, political, and territorial autonomy over 9 million hectares of federally demarcated Indigenous lands in the highly threatened southeastern Amazon. It is led by three Kayapo NGOs: the Protected Forest Association (AFP), Kabu Institute (IK) and Raoni Institute (IR) representing communities of the northeast, northwest and southwest sectors of Kayapo territory. The Kayapo organizations receive financial and technical support from trusted external partners like Biome Conservation.
The Kayapo Project strategy has four pillars:
▷ Institutional Strengthening of Kayapo NGOs
▷ Territorial Monitoring and Control (surveillance)
▷ Development of Sustainable Bioeconomy-based Enterprises
▷ Cultural Valorization through Events, Education, and Communications
Securing Kayapo lands provides important large-scale planetary climate, biodiversity, and environmental benefits.
Climate Impacts
The Kayapo-NGO alliance protects and sustainably manages 9.4M hectares (23.2M acres) of forested Kayapo Indigenous territory. These lands form a critical barrier to deforestation in Brazil’s Xingu River Basin, safeguarding the last major intact forest block in the region, which stores 720M metric tons of above-ground carbon, equivalent to the annual emissions of 574M cars.
BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
The Amazon is home to about 16,000 plant species, of which 7,000 are tree species, and an uncountable number of animal species. Kayapo Indigenous territories are large enough to protect viable populations of threatened species including tree species that require large landscapes to persist. Surveys have shown that much of the huge block of Kayapo land remains relatively undisturbed as judged by population densities of the more sensitive vertebrate species. Large-bodied mammal and bird species, which are preferred game species of local peoples throughout the Amazon, are abundant in Kayapo territory.
THE KAYAPO PROJECT NGO ALLIANCE
Associação Floresta Protegida
The Associação Floresta Protegida (AFP), started in 1998, represents approximately 3,000 indigenous people from 43 villages located in the Kayapó, Mekragnoti and Las Casas Indigenous Lands, in the south of the state of Pará.
Instituto Kabu
Started in 2008, The Instituto Kabu (IK) brings together 12 affiliated villages in the TIs Baú and Menkragnoti, in southern Pará, where about 200 families and almost 2,000 men, women and children live. The Institute is managed by Indigenous people, who have a small team of professionals committed to using their knowledge of both cultures to advise associated leaders and assist in dialogue.
Instituto Raoni
Created in 2001, the Instituto Raoni (IR) was created to defend the interests of the Kayapo people. Today IR represents 24 villages across three Indigenous territories. The IR not only communities of the Kayapó people, but also the Trumai, Tapayuna and Panará peoples.
Biome Conservation – Trusted International Partner and Fiscal Sponsor Since 2007, Biome Conservation, also known as the International Conservation Fund of Canada has supported the Kayapo peoples’ fight for territorial, cultural, environmental, and political autonomy. Biome Conservation is Canada’s leading and award winning conservation organization committed to supporting biodiversity in the tropics. Biome Conservation supports front-line conservation by local organizations and Indigenous peoples in the tropics.
BIOECONOMY OF THE MEBENGOKRE-KAYAPO PEOPLE
Subsistence activities, such as food production in the fields, hunting, fishing, and gathering forest products, play a central role in the diet of the Kayapó peoples. In the villages, the Kayapo cultivate foods essential to the traditional diet, such as bananas, cassava, pumpkin, sweet potato, yam, taro, papaya, watermelon, and other fruits. In the forest, the Kayapó collect Brazil nuts, honey, açaí, bacaba, pequi, and hunt animals such as peccaries, tapirs, deer, tortoises, and river turtles. The rivers of Kayapó lands are teeming with a diversity of fish species such as pacu, piau, traírão, pintado, pirarara, matrinchã, tucunaré, piranha, bicuda, and others.
These forest and village-based activities ensure Kayapo knowledge is passed down through generations. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the income of these communities due to the strengthening of income-generating initiatives based on the sale of socio-biodiversity products and services and to greater access by indigenous people to social benefits and wages.
NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS
▷ Brazil Nuts
Harvesting Brazil nuts is a traditional activity of the Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó people, involving the vast majority of villages and their communities during the rainy season, which generally runs from December to March. Brazil nuts represent not only one of the most promising options for generating income sustainably, but also an activity that promotes and values culture, in addition to complementing the indigenous diet.
This activity also contributes to territorial protection, since the Brazil nut groves are scattered across vast areas of the territory, which encourages our movement throughout the Indigenous Land, inhibiting the practice of illegal and predatory activities by third parties. The long stay of families in the harvesting camps provides an opportunity for the transmission of knowledge from the elders to the younger generations, contributing to the strengthening of the culture and the Indigenous way of life.
▷ Cumaru Nut (Tonka Beans)
Another forest-based economic activity with great potential in the territory is the harvesting of Cumaru nuts. Cumaru is found in dense forests, in the woods, and also in the red soil of the Cerrado. Cumaru has medicinal properties and is increasingly in demand in the national and international markets, mainly in the cosmetics industry. More recently it has gained strength in national and international gastronomy.
ETHICAL AND RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
Kayapo culture and their pristine forests and rivers present innumerable opportunities for educational, ecological, and cultural tourism. Aside from the economic benefits, during tourism experiences, Kayapo meet with nonIndigenous people interested in protecting Kayapo culture and lands. Similarly, tourism participants learn the realities of the southeastern Amazon and become potential long term supporters of the Kayapo. Kayapo tourism initiatives include: sportfishing and ecotourism lodges on the Xingu (xingulodge.com) and Iriri Rivers (kendjamlodge.com); an intercultural field course and internship exchange program with the A’Ukre community (kayapo.org/field-course); and cultural tourism at the in villages of Pykany and Kubenkrankein (https://www.amzprojects.com/etnoturismo).
BUY FROM THE KAYAPO
COOBA-Y
The Kayapó Forest Products Cooperative – COOBÂ-Y, created in 2011, supports and values the traditional activities of our people by contributing to the production and marketing of cumaru, Brazil nuts, and handicrafts, structuring and certifying our production chains. Our goal is to maximize, facilitate, and strengthen the marketing process of forest products, valuing our community organization, adding value to our products by accessing markets, and generating income.
Our craft brand is called Meprodjà. Our goal is to provide a non-seasonal and sustainable source of income, a type of income that is well distributed among communities and that contributes to valuing and promoting the beauty of the Mẽbêngôkre-Kayapó culture in Brazil and around the world. Our store is open to visitors and has a wide variety of products for sale.
Arte Indígena Instituto Raoni
The Raoni Institute has its own brand: “Arte Indígena Instituto Raoni” (Raoni Institute Indigenous Art), which represents the four peoples associated with the Raoni Institute. It also has a brand for socio-biodiversity products that will boost the market entry of products such as copaiba oil, cassava flour, honey, pequi, and baru nuts.
Traditional economic activities with market potential are being strengthened through income-generating workshops, a catalog of indigenous art from the Raoni Institute, workshops on processing biodiversity products, and the development of a governance plan for productive activities.
Loja Kayapo
The Loja Kayapo supports Kayapó handicrafts and food with a distinctive ethnic cultural identity established through traditional work, linked to cultural knowledge passed down from generation to generation through the elders to the younger generations. The Loja Kayapo has both a brick and mortar store in Novo Progresso and an online store to facilitate sales. The Loja Kayapo also participates in fairs and other events throughout Brazil such as the Acampamento Terra Livre.
SUPPORT KAYAPO BIOECONOMY INITIATIVES
You can contribute to the Kayapó Sociobiodiversity Products project by purchasing items or donating to one or more of the Kayapo associations. By contributing, you help conserve more than nine million hectares of Amazon rainforest, which means that hundreds of plant and animal species will be protected, that rivers and springs will have their riparian forests intact. Your contribution strengthens the Kayapó people and encourages the maintenance of their culture and traditional knowledge, resulting in the sustainable development of their communities. These traditional economic activities with market potential are being strengthened through income-generating workshops, workshops on processing biodiversity products, and the development of a governance plan for productive activities.
MONITORING AND SURVEILLANCE OF KAYAPO TERRITORY
The Kayapo Indigenous people of Brazil have legal and exclusive rights to their 10.6-million-hectare territory (nearly the size of Portugal), composed of five of their traditional territories (see map). Unfortunately, every inch of their 2,200 km (1,375 miles) border faces escalating external pressures, particularly from illegal logging, mining and land grabbing in a virtually lawless frontier region.
In response, the Kayapo organizations, including the Associação Floresta Protegida (AFP), Instituto Kabu (IK), and Instituto Raoni (IR), and Associação Indigena Pykôre (AIP),- have mobilized significant financial and technical resources to defend and sustainably manage approximately 9 million of the almost 10.6 million hectares of forest under Kayapo control. The other 1.5 million hectares areas have been devastated by illicit logging, mining, or agriculture invasions (purple outline in Figure 1).
Figure 1. Block of Kayapó Indigenous territories amid a sea of deforestation and location of current Guard posts
Guard post in the Menkragnoti indigenous land.
Guard Post Programme Overview
- 17 guard posts
- 8 months of operation
- 2000 Kayapo Guardians
- 13,000 USD to operate 1 guard post per month
IK – 8 guard posts; IR – 4 guard posts; AFP – 4 guard posts; AIP – 1 guard post
HOW THE KAYAPO MONITOR AND PROTECT THEIR LAND
In 2016, the Kayapo NGOs and their representative communities began the first guard post on the Xingu River, at the northern border of the Kayapó Indigenous Land. In 2025, 17 guard posts were operated by the four Kayapo organizations of the conservation NGO alliance. Each guard post is managed by at least two village custodians. The Guard Post program guarantees the presence of Kayapo guardians at strategic access points to their territory, signaling to outside frontier society that the Kayapo are organized to defend their ratified land rights, thus inhibiting invaders.
Each year, about 2,000 Kayapo guardians participate in the program, with benefits reaching virtually every family in the Kayapo NGO alliance. At each guard post, Kayapo teams of six rotate weekly or bi-weekly. The rotation of guardian teams, drawn from all Kayapo communities, ensures community engagement and equitable access to guard post work and salaries. The guard posts operate between May and December each year. Equitable salaries, combined with inherent Kayapo drive to protect their territory, culture, and livelihoods against illegal activity generate a strong social antidote to the bribing of individuals by illegal actors for access to Kayapo territory and natural resources.
KAYAPO GUARDIANS NEED YOUR SUPPORT
The Guard Post Program is both an effective and efficient strategy to protect the forest and provide alternative livelihoods to the Kayapo. The guard posts investment translates into a cost of roughly 0,20 dollars per year per hectare and engages close to 2000 Kayapo men and women annually, providing an average annual income of USD 360 per person. In total the average monthly cost of a guard post is 13,000 USD and the total annual cost for supporting 17 guard posts for 8 months is about 1,77 million USD.
The journey to COP30 is underway — more to come soon.
Join the Kayapo-NGO alliance.
US and Canadian donors can visit kayapo.org/donate to make a tax deductible gift.
Contact Us
Adriano Jerozolimski
Director Kayapo Project, Brazil
Biome Conservation
pingo@biomeconservation.org
Whatsapp: +55 94 991525726
Patkore Kayapó
President
Protected Forest Association
patkorekayapo@florestaprotegida.org.br
Whatsapp: +55 94 984049636
Mayalu Waurá Txucarramãe
Executive manager
Raoni Institute
coordenacaoexecutiva1@institutoraoni.org.br
Whatsapp: +55 66 999291301
Matthew Aruch
Director Indigenous Conservation Programs
Biome Conservation
aruch@biomeconservation.org
Whatsapp: +1 516 993 9331
Doto Takakire
President
Kabu Institute
doto@kabu.org.br
Whatsapp: +55 94 981310030
Follow us
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Instituto Kabu
Instituto Raoni
Kayapo Project
Biome Conservation
Kayapo Women Lead the Way at the IV Indigenous Women March
Kayapo Women Lead the Way at the IV Indigenous Women March
“Our body is territory. We are the guardians of the planet, for the healing of the Earth.”
From August 5–9, 2024, more than 5,000 Indigenous women from across Brazil gathered in Brasília for the IV Marcha das Mulheres Indígenas under the theme: “Nosso corpo, nosso território: somos as guardiãs do planeta” — “Our body, our territory: we are the guardians of the planet.”
Among them, the Mebêngôkre-Kayapo women stood out for their powerful presence, uniting representatives from three regions across Pará and Mato Grosso. For the Kayapó, this march was more than symbolic — it was an opportunity to amplify urgent calls for the demarcation of the Kapôt Nhinore Indigenous Territory, ancestral home to the Kayapó and Yudjá peoples and birthplace of Chief Raoni.
photo: @prai.kayapo
Kayapo Leaders Meet with FUNAI in Brasília
On August 5, the delegation from the Instituto Raoni met with Joenia Wapichana, president of FUNAI, to discuss the progress of the Kapôt Nhinore demarcation process. Vice-president Kokonã Metuktire, daughter of Raoni, presented the communities’ demands and will carry the updates back to local leaders. FUNAI reaffirmed that the process is moving forward, with technical teams addressing all legal challenges.
Kayapó women also took the fight directly to Brazil’s halls of power. In a symbolic act before the National Congress, Kayapo leader Oé Kaiapó Paiakan, cofounder of ANMIGA, placed a feathered headdress on the head of Indigenous Congresswoman Célia Xakriabá — a gesture of respect, recognition, and ancestral unity.
A Week of Action and Solidarity
Throughout the week, the Kayapó women marched alongside thousands of other Indigenous women, carrying banners, chants, and the Carta Pela Vida e Pelos Corpos-Territórios (Letter for Life and Body-Territories) to the Praça dos Três Poderes. This document reaffirms their role as guardians of the forest, defenders of their bodies and lands, and protectors of future generations.
For the Kayapo, defending land is defending life. As Kokonã Metuktire emphasized, recognizing Kapôt Nhinore is recognizing the people who safeguard the forest — and the strength of the women who lead this fight in Brasília and beyond.
