Yesterday, British pop star Sting met with several indigenous leaders Caiapó tribe to discuss the Brazilian government’s plans to construct a massive hydroelectric plant in the state of Pará, which would affect the Caiapó’s lands.
Sting met the leaders twenty years ago on the Xingu reservation, which inspired him to create a non-profit, the Rainforest Foundation, which works to protect the environment as well as indigenous tribes in the Amazon. The NGO has donated funds to help the Caiapó tribe with education and protection from land invaders.
In the meantime, Sting met with the leaders to discuss the plans for the dam, to ensure that the indigenous tribes play a part in negotiations with the government. Environmental leaders are opposed to the project, which they say would be harmful to the Amazon, and the government has not yet acquired the necessary environmental permit to begin construction.
For some great photos of the meeting and more information, click here.
Comments:
Kat:
there’s a great book on Brazilian environmental politics called Amazon Journal, by Geoffrey O’Connor. highly recommend it – it’s where i first found out about sting’s (sometimes fraught) involvement with the rainforest and indigenous peoples in Brazil.