Brazil: ‘Huge Leap Forward’ As Demarcation Of Uncontacted Group’s Land Is Completed

August 6, 2026

Campaigners today hailed the
completion of the physical demarcation of land belonging to
the Kawahiva,
one of the Amazon’s most vulnerable uncontacted peoples
— a full 27 years after their presence on the land was
confirmed by the authorities.

Now that the Rio Pardo
Kawahiva Territory has been mapped out on the ground, only
President Lula’s signature is required for the territory
to be officially created.

The uncontacted Kawahiva are
critically threatened by land grabbers and loggers who have
pushed for access to the territory. They have aggressively
opposed the recognition of the Kawahiva’s lands, with
violence and arson attacks, as well as political
lobbying.

The Kawahiva are nomadic hunter-gatherers
who rely totally on their forest. They are the survivors of
attacks and disease which killed their relatives, and they
are resisting in their forest, avoiding contact with
outsiders.

Jair Candor, the
renowned FUNAI official in charge of protecting the
territory from invasions, told Survival: “The physical
demarcation … provides greater security because that is
how people will begin to understand that this is real: the
boundary markers and signs are now there. It is another
milestone we have achieved, but the battle continues because
now comes the [final] approval process. And this is vital
for the survival of the Kawahiva. For me, it is a matter of
honor to begin and complete this work, which will secure the
future of this uncontacted Indigenous
people.”

“Physically marking the boundaries
strengthens territorial monitoring and protection efforts…
to combat invasions and illegal activities such as wildcat
mining, logging, and the expansion of cattle ranching. This
measure is particularly significant given the history of
conflict and the difficulty of accessing the region” said
a statement from the FUNAI Land Demarcation Department.
(Full statement here –
https://www.survivalinternational.org/documents/kawahiva-land-demarcation-2026?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=utm_campaign&utm_content=260723+PR+Kawahiva+Demarcation+2+-+EN+4590293480)

Survival
International’s Director Caroline Pearce said today:
“The uncontacted Kawahiva have been under threat in their
own forest home for decades, while simply trying to exercise
their right to live as they choose without contact. Now,
finally, we are just one step away from their territory
being recognized and protected. It is essential that
President Lula quickly takes the final step of full legal
recognition – this is the only way to secure the
Kawahiva’s future.

“That we have reached this
point at all is a tribute to the fierce commitment of the
Kawahiva’s allies inside and outside Brazil, in the face
of violent opposition from colonizing land-grabbers and
their political allies. Now the Brazilian authorities must
see it through.”

For over two months, Candor and his
team traversed the Kawahiva territory, driving posts into
the ground along its borders and installing signs to warn
off intruders. Now that demarcation of the territory is
complete, a presidential decree is the last step of the
process to create the Indigenous
territory.

Demarcation alone, however, will not
protect the Kawahiva: there is a constant need for
government teams on the ground to monitor the territory and
prevent invasions and land theft.

Survival has
campaigned for the land rights of the Kawahiva for decades,
alongside Indigenous organizations, including COIAB
(Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia
Brasileira), FEPOIMT (Federação dos Povos e Organizações
Indígenas de Mato Grosso) and the Indian Law Resource
Center, along with allies OPAN (Operação Amazônia Nativa)
and Opi (Observatório dos Povos Indígenas
Isolados).

“Every territory that advances in the
demarcation process is a source of joy for our institution,
which seeks to ensure that the rights of the Indigenous
peoples of Mato Grosso state are upheld, ” said Silvano
Chue, acting President of FEPOIMT. “Indigenous peoples are
the true owners of these territories.”

“Opi
welcomes with great joy the news that another fundamental
step towards protecting the uncontacted Kawahiva Indigenous
people has been completed,” said a statement from the
Indigenous rights group.

Notes:

• FUNAI
  confirmed the existence of uncontacted people in this
  territory in 1999. Later, in 2013, the government agency
  released unique footage of nine uncontacted Kawahiva walking
  in the forest
  (https://www.survivalinternational.org/peoples/kawahiva?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=utm_campaign&utm_content=260723+PR+Kawahiva+Demarcation+2+-+EN+4590293480).
• Survival
  experts and allies who have worked on this campaign for
  years are available for interview.

History of
the Kawahiva campaign

• The Kawahiva do Rio Pardo
  are nomadic hunter-gatherers who rely totally on the forest
  for their livelihood and well-being, and clearly reject
  contact.
• In 2016, following intense campaigning by
  Survival alongside organizations in Brazil, and pressure
  from thousands of Survival supporters around the world, the
  Justice Ministry declared the Kawahiva’s forest an
  Indigenous Territory. But the land demarcation process has
  since been paralyzed by fierce opposition by local
  politicians and agribusinesses.

Uncontacted
Indigenous peoples around the world

Survival’s new
report, Uncontacted Indigenous Peoples: At the edge of
survival, reveals there are at least 196 uncontacted
Indigenous peoples and groups living in 10 countries. They
are self-sufficient, resilient and live independently in
their forests — and they thrive when their rights are
respected. More than 96% of uncontacted peoples are
threatened by extractive industries and
exploration.

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