Deep in the Amazon rainforest, armed tribesmen battle illegal loggers for their future -- and ours [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

The "Guardians of the Forest" have taken up arms against the "invaders."
By
Dan Harris
,
Brian Epstein
,
Evan Simon
,
Aicha El Hammar Castano
and
Pete Madden
February 14, 2020, 4:13 AM
10 min read

Know it or not, Laercio Guajajara is fighting for you.

The 35-year-old indigenous Brazilian is a member of the Amazon’s Guajajara tribe and the leader of what is essentially a paramilitary group who have made it their mission to expel illegal loggers from the rainforest that has supported their people for centuries.

Calling themselves the “Guardians of the Forest,” this small band of no more than 50 tribal fighters patrols roughly 1,600 square miles of federally protected land, disrupting and detaining the so-called “invaders” who cross their path.

But for Laercio and his “Guardians,” this is no mere local skirmish. The pace of deforestation in the Amazon has alarmed world leaders who fear it could exacerbate the effects of climate change, putting the Guajajara on the front lines of a fight with global implications.

“This land help[s] us indigenous to survive,” Laercio told ABC News. “At the same time it serves the whole world, all the people who live on this planet.”



More:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/deep-amazon-rainforest-tribal-militia-battles-illegal-loggers/story?id=68976854