Indigenous Peoples of South America
Over 20 million Indigenous persons in South America, belonging to some 700 distinct Peoples. Approximately 200 of these Peoples, some 10,000 individuals, are living in voluntary isolation. Indigenous Peoples’ territories span the entirety of the continent – from the Amazon to the Andes, the Chaco to the Cerrado, the Pantanal to the Pampas – and cover a variety of biomes, including: tropical rainforests, deserts, grasslands and mountains.
The territories, lives and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples of South America are threatened by industrial agriculture, mining, oil extraction, logging, and the construction of large infrastructure projects such as highways and mega-dams Indigenous Peoples’. Communities are violently evicted from their territories by government forces, legal and illegal resource extraction activities, narcotraffickers and armed groups. Killings of Indigenous Peoples’ rights defenders are increasing dramatically, and Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation are at risk of genocide.
Land is Life works with Indigenous Peoples’ communities throughout South America; strengthening governance and territorial management systems, supporting rights defenders, protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation and initial contact.
