Quilombola land rights disputes in São Paulo

Quilombola communities in São Paulo are engaged in various legal and physical efforts to secure land rights and official recognition of ancestral territories.

In the Serra do Mar State Park, the State of São Paulo has officially recognized the Quilombo da Fazenda as a quilombola remnant. Following a conciliation process overseen by the Tribunal Regional Federal da 3ª Região (TRF3), the territory—covering approximately 970.8 hectares—will undergo land regularization. The plan involves converting certain densely populated areas into a Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) to balance environmental preservation with territorial rights, while other areas remain part of the State Park.

In a separate dispute in São Roque, members of the Quilombo Revolucionário do Carmo occupied Fazenda Icaraí to demand official land titling. Although a 2024 technical report by the National Institute for Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra) recognized the area as ancestral, the land is currently legally owned by a real estate company. Community leaders allege the land is being prepared for luxury developments, such as golf courses and high-end condominiums, which could complicate federal compensation processes.