Ranchers in Brazil ordered to leave home of Indigenous people living in voluntary isolation

A federal judge in Brazil's Mato Grosso state has issued an order for individuals and their employees, animals, machinery, equipment, and movable property to vacate the Piripkura Indigenous Territory within 120 days. This ruling overturns an earlier decision that permitted certain individuals to remain in the territory until the completion of the demarcation process.

The decision was made following the discovery of clandestine airstrips linked to drug trafficking and new deforestation linked to cattle ranching within the territory.

Funai, Brazil's Indigenous affairs agency, and Brazil's environmental protection agency (IBAMA) made the discovery. A fine of 500 Brazilian reais (approximately $93) will be imposed daily for non-compliance after the 120-day period. Since 2008, the area has been under a special protection regime to prevent outsider entry. However, in 2025, a court provisionally allowed some ranchers to remain, based on the Marco Temporal law.

This law, enacted in 2025, granted non-Indigenous occupants certain rights to possess and use the land until the Indigenous territory's demarcation was completed and compensation for improvements made in good faith was paid.

In December 2025, Brazil's Supreme Court overturned the Marco Temporal law, declaring it unconstitutional. The Piripkura people, known for living in voluntary isolation, reside within the territory. Funai has not ruled out the existence of other isolated individuals living there. The new ruling is seen as a significant step forward for Piripkura protection, both in terms of its practical implications and recognition.