From the moment mist drifted through Devon’s Buckland Wood last April, a quiet meeting of worlds unfolded: Indigenous rainforest leaders from Brazil—a nation fighting to safeguard its pulsing green heart—stepped onto British soil, not merely to visit but to weave stories of healing, solidarity, and mutual stewardship. It was a moment that transcended geography—a message of hope, through trees stretching across hemispheres.
A Shared Pulse Beneath the Canopy
Staff from the UK’s Woodland Trust welcomed representatives of the Asháninka and Guarani peoples at Buckland Wood, a protected woodland in Dartmoor.
The 100‑hectare plot, home to internationally rare lichens, bats, otters, and dormice, offered fertile ground for dialogue and shared ritual. The Brazilian visitors opened with prayers steeped in ancestral memory—a gesture that rippled through the soft woodlands.
“In every tree, every breath, with your prayers, we found a new rhythm,” said Sam Manning, the Woodland Trust’s rainforest recovery officer. He described the encounter as “one of the most emotionally moving days of my life,” underscoring the powerful connection he felt under the canopy.
For Indigenous leader Alexandrina Piyãko of the Asháninka, the gathering offered clarity: restoration cannot be separated from reconnection.
“Restoring nature is not easy. I believe this is the first step, and a good one,” she said. Her words carried a profound truth: healing land begins with healing relationships—with ourselves, each other, and the living earth.
Beyond Boundaries: Lessons Rooted in Struggle
The British and Brazilian forests, though differing in climate and species, are united by an important fragility: fragmentation.
In Dartmoor, centuries of agricultural change have pocketed patches of woodland amid open land. In the Amazon, roads, illegal logging, and agribusiness fragment ecosystems across vast swathes, edging ever closer to a critical tipping point.
As climate scientist Carlos Nobre warned recently, the Amazon faces collapse—20–25% deforestation risks flipping it from lush rainforest to degraded savannah. At present, 18% of the Amazon has already vanished, and warming trends could push it into irreversible decline.
In South America, soy farmers have begun expanding into secondary forests—replanted land not covered by existing moratoriums—fueling a hidden threat to biodiversity.
Meanwhile, Indigenous guardians in Brazil, like the Guajajara, patrol the land daily, facing illegal logging, mining intrusions, and violent confrontations.
The Guardians: Living on the Frontline
The Guajajara Guardians—about 120 volunteers—protect roughly 413,000 hectares in the Arariboia Indigenous Land. Their work is dangerous: between 2000 and 2020, 47 members were killed by illegal loggers.
Among them was Paulo Paulino “Lobo” Guajajara, who in 2019 was ambushed while defending the forest. He once acknowledged the risk: “I’m scared at times, but we have to lift up our heads and act. We are here fighting”.
Yet in the face of peril, they persist—armed not just with shotguns and drones, but with ancestral belief in reciprocity: “we owe back to the land that gives us life.” Their work is not simply conservation, it is culture in action.
Weaving Solidarity: Technology Meets Tradition
On Caru Indigenous Land, the Guerreiras da Floresta (Forest Warriors) are blending ancestral vigilance with drones and GPS cameras to detect illegal activity—efforts recognized by Prince William in BBC Earth’s recent Guardians series.
Highlighted in the documentary, their work helped secure widespread awareness, even prompting a London meeting bringing global leaders and Brazil’s Indigenous Minister Sonia Guajajara to the forefront.
Back in Britain, Brazilian voices spoke about restoring land in Dartmoor, and the Asháninka and Guarani messages echoed lessons from the Amazon—be mindful of spiritual balance, nurture the unseen bonds that hold life together.
Optimism as Action: The Road Ahead
The trip to Dartmoor is more than symbolism. The Woodland Trust has launched a £2.8 million appeal to secure and restore Buckland Wood — a tangible step grounded in shared hope.
Brazil, too, has seen progress. Under President Lula, Amazon deforestation rates dropped to the lowest since 2018. The Amazon Fund received $640 million in new pledges from the United States, UK, Denmark, EU, Norway, and Germany. In London, King Charles echoed urgency, encouraging investments in nature-based solutions.
But vigilance remains vital. With soy advancing into secondary forests and agribusiness pressing boundaries, restoration must go beyond economic models—to cultural, spiritual, and ecological resilience. Brazil’s controversial plans—planting millions of hectares with eucalyptus to fund restoration—spark mixed reactions.
Conservation experts caution monoculture plantations risk biodiversity and water health. Alternatives, like Brazil’s re.green initiative, demonstrate how restoring native forests alongside community livelihoods offers a more holistic solution.
Together, Interwoven Futures
The Dartmoor gathering, rooted in reciprocal listening and shared ceremony, reminds us of this truth: We are all guardians of the planet. Whether in the temperate rainforests of Devon or the half-billion–hectare Amazon, each act of restoration is built on trust—between trees, people, and centuries of life.
“This is the first step, and a good one,” said Alexandrina Piyãko. Indeed, this crossing of continents marks a movement at the heart of environmental revival: global solidarity grounded in local ties.
If Brazil’s Indigenous guardians continue with their tireless watch, Britain sustains efforts in its own dwindling rainforests, and world leaders commit resources to both science and ancestral wisdom, then we edge closer not only to healing land—but to healing ourselves.
Sources:
Positive News
Dailygood
Reuters
