Indigenous Territories are among the main barriers against the advancement of deforestation in Brazil. Over the past 30 years, Indigenous Territories have lost only 1% of their native vegetation area, while in private areas, the loss was 20.6%.

Data from MapBiomas shows that deforestation between 1990 and 2020 amounted to 69 million hectares, with only 1.1 million occurring in Indigenous Territories. Another 47.2 million hectares were deforested in private areas.

"Satellite data leaves no doubt that it is indigenous peoples who are slowing down the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Without their territories, the forest would certainly be much closer to its tipping point at which it ceases to provide the environmental services upon which our agriculture, industries, and cities depend," explains Tasso Azevedo, general coordinator of MapBiomas.

Indigenous lands occupy 13.9% of the Brazilian territory and contain 109.7 million hectares of native vegetation, which correspond to 19.5% of the native vegetation in Brazil in 2020.

See more data about Indigenous Territories here.