Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo people expressed to Reuters that Brazil should refrain from tapping into oil reserves in the Amazon region due to the potential harmful effects on local communities. His remarks were made during the recent Acampamento Terra Livre, the largest Indigenous gathering in the country.
Raoni’s statements come amid increasing discussions regarding Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil company, and its proposal to drill for oil in the environmentally sensitive Foz do Amazonas basin off the coast of Amapa. “I oppose this oil project,” Raoni stated, following a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. “I made it clear to President Lula that I do not support oil extraction in the Amazon.”
While Lula has positioned himself as a defender of Brazil’s tropical forests and Indigenous populations, he has also indicated that drilling in the delicate Foz do Amazonas basin should be permissible. He has criticized the environmental agency Ibama for its slow response in granting Petrobras the necessary drilling license.
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Raoni, a prominent environmental advocate for many years, was one of the select individuals invited by Lula to accompany him during his inauguration for a third presidential term in January 2023.
In May 2023, Ibama rejected Petrobras’ application for an offshore drilling license in the Foz do Amazonas, citing environmental risks. The agency also raised concerns about the potential impact on Indigenous communities in Amapa. Although Petrobras has appealed the decision, a final ruling from Ibama is still awaited.
The Foz do Amazonas basin, located in Brazil’s Equatorial Margin, is regarded as the nation’s most promising oil frontier, sharing geological characteristics with neighboring Guyana, where Exxon Mobil is actively developing significant oil fields.