Brazil court orders removal of cattle and invaders from Piripkura land

indigenous land rights Piripkura territory quilombola communities land regularization Brazil judicial rulings

A Brazilian Federal Court has ordered the removal of cattle and unauthorized occupants from the Piripkura Indigenous Territory in Mato Grosso to protect the Piripkura people, who live in voluntary isolation. The ruling, obtained through the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), mandates the evacuation of areas irregularly occupied in Colniza and Rondolândia.

The decision establishes two distinct groups for compliance. Occupants who entered the area after the initial 2008 protection orders have 120 days to remove all employees, livestock, and machinery. A second group, which had previously been permitted to remain, must remove their herds within 120 days and strictly adhere to existing environmental restrictions, including prohibitions on new deforestation and natural resource exploitation.

To ensure the safety of the isolated indigenous group, the National Indigenous People Foundation (Funai) will oversee the process with support from IBAMA and public security agencies. The court imposed a daily fine of R$ 500 per defendant for non-compliance.