Blockades, checkpoints and court action: fending off Brazil’s biofuel giants in the Amazon
Quilombola communities in Brazil are resisting the expansion of palm oil monoculture, which they claim has led to displacement and land theft. The industry, supported by government subsidies, is accused of restricting access to traditional territories through security checkpoints and fencing.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing conflict between industrial biofuel production and the land rights of marginalized indigenous and Afro-descendant communities.
A palm oil facility in the Acará valley in Pará, northern Brazil. Palm oil monoculture has been encroaching in the region for decades and companies have laid claim to ever larger tracts of traditional quilombola territory. All photographs courtesy of Sasha Schell/The Palm Oil War A palm oil facility in the Acará valley in Pará, northern Brazil. Palm oil monoculture has been encroaching in the region for decades and companies have laid claim to ever larger tracts of traditional quilombola territory. All photographs courtesy of Sasha Schell/The Palm Oil War Southern frontlines: Latin America and the Caribbean Global development Blockades, checkpoints and court action: fending off Brazil’s biofuel giants in the Amazon After decades of violent displacement and land theft, the country’s quilombola communities are fighting back
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