Aug

2012

10:04am, EDT

Brazil backslides on protecting the Amazon

Nacho Doce / Reuters

An elderly woman rests next to her grandchild in a hammock inside their house in the village of Pimental in Itaituba, in the state of Para, on May 26. In the 19 months since Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff took office, longstanding rules that curtail deforestation and protect millions of square kilometers of watershed have been rolled back. She issued an executive order to shrink or repurpose seven protected woodlands, making way for hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure projects, and to legalize settlements by farmers and miners. These photos were received by NBCNews.com on Aug. 3 as part of a Reuters special report.

Nacho Doce / Reuters

An aerial view shows illegal deforestation close to the Amazonia National Park in Itaituba, state of Para, on May 25.

Below is an excerpt from a Reuters special report: Brazil backslides on protecting the Amazon

Reuters -- Last year President Dilma Rousseff authorized a change that ceded much responsibility for environmental oversight to local officials. Of 168 Ibama, Brazil's widely respected federal environmental agency, field offices operating a few years ago, 91 have been shuttered, according to Ibama employees. Ivo Lubrinna says Ibama agents used to fine him and other miners for violations. Now, he leads a team that inspects wildcatting sites. So far, he says, he has levied few fines.

The shift to local control is one of many changes implemented under Rousseff's administration that, taken together, constitute an all-out retreat from nearly two decades of progressive federal environmental policy.

In the 19 months since Rousseff took office, longstanding rules that curtail deforestation and protect millions of square kilometers of watershed have been rolled back. She issued an executive order to shrink or repurpose seven protected woodlands, making way for hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure projects, and to legalize settlements by farmers and miners.

And she has slowed to a near halt a process, uninterrupted during the previous three administrations, of setting aside land for national parks, wildlife reserves and other "conservation units."

Read the full story.

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Nacho Doce / Reuters

A boy walks on the Trans-Amazonian highway in Itaituba, in the state of Para, on May 24.

Slideshow: Dams rising across Brazil's Amazon

Mario Tama / Getty Images

The Belo Monte dam is among 60 Brazil plans to build in its Amazon region to help power its growing economy. But the vision also has its critics.

Launch slideshow

May

2012

3:11pm, EDT

Yawalapiti tribe living traditionally in the Amazonian jungle of Brazil

Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters

Yawalapiti youth chief Anuia (front) leads a dance in the Xingu National Park, Mato Grosso State on May 7. In August the Yawalapiti tribe will hold the Quarup, which is a ritual held over several days to honour in death a person of great importance to them. This year the Quarup will be honouring two people - a Yawalapiti Indian who they consider a great leader, and Darcy Ribeiro, a well-known author, anthropologist and politician known for focusing on the relationship between native peoples and education in Brazil.

Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters

Yawalapiti tribe members catch fish in the Xingu National Park.

Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters

Yawalapiti men wrestle in the Xingu National Park, Mato Grosso State.

Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters

Yawalapiti children play over the Xingu River.

Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters

An aerial view of the Yawalapiti village is seen in the Xingu National Park.

Ueslei Marcelino / Reuters

An aerial view of a portion of the Xingu National Park that is deforested from agriculture and logging is seen in Mato Grosso State.

Reuters photographer Ueslei Marcelino describes his time visiting the "village of joy:"

The mood was one of celebration. The Yawalapiti, one of the 14 tribes living inside the Xingu National Park, were preparing a new “quarup,” a ritual held over several days to honor in death a person of great importance to them. In its original form, the quarup was a funeral ritual intended to bring the dead back to life. Today, it is a celebration of life, death and rebirth. From the very oldest to the very youngest, all the members of the Yawalapiti tribe participate in the preparations.

The Yawalapiti are living in new times. During the meetings of tribal leaders that I observed, they demonstrated a preoccupation with preserving their culture and with the devastation of the Xingu’s forests. They discussed policies that could be implemented in a new project called Xingu+50, in reference to last year’s 50^th anniversary of the creation of Xingu National Park.

Aritana, the Yawalapiti cacique, who immediately struck me as witty, serene and wise, told me that a man should be like a good, old tree; he should give fruit throughout his lifetime, and towards the end produce a huge shadow to shelter others.

Without a doubt, it was a great experience to live with the Yawalapiti for a few days. They made me ponder my own coexistence with mankind in my corner of the world in urban Brasilia, and our relationship with nature.