Indigenous leaders from the Cerrado come to Europe to speak to leaders and civilians to protect their lands. During this evening, these leaders and other experts from civil society organisations will introduce the often lesser known Cerrado to the audience. They will elaborate more on the vital importance it has for their culture, to protect nature and prevent climate change and how Cerrado is under threat by agricultural expansion to rear cattle and grow soy for animal feed. The European Union is one of the most important markets for soy from the Cerrado, and The Netherlands is the largest importer of soy in the EU, with a significant portion coming in through the port of Amsterdam. What can The Netherlands and other European countries do to help halt the destruction of the Cerrado? Last year’s adopted European Union Deforestation Regulation holds promise but is flawed in its current form. How can it be improved? And what is needed from the private sector and the financial sector? All will be discussed during this evening and show how together we can protect the Cerrado and other vital ecosystems like it.
Over de sprekers
Eliane Xunakalo is an indigenous woman from the Kurâ Bakairi people and was the first indigenous woman from her village to graduate in Law. Eliane is the President of the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Mato Grosso (FEPOIMT), a defender of Indigenous Rights and biomes, a member of the Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Letters of Brazil (ACILBRAS). As an active member of the indigenous movement, Eliane advocates for indigenous representation in all spheres of society.
Kamikia Kisedje is an indigenous communicator of the Kisedje people from the Indigenous Land of Wawi in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Kamikia is a member of the communication team of the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib). He works as a photographer and filmmaker, capturing indigenous events and protests with the aim of supporting the struggles of indigenous communities and strengthening their identities, territorial heritage, and culture.
Samuel Caetano is geraizeiro* of the north of Minas Gerais, Samuel Caetano has a degree in History from the Faculdade Integrada do Norte de Minas – FUNORTE. Since 2000, his professional career has been intertwined with that of the Centre for Alternative Agriculture in Northern Minas Gerais (CAA/NM), where he is currently the Executive Coordinator. The son of the renowned Geraizeiro farmer “Seu Braulino”, he joined the fight to guarantee the rights and dignity of Traditional Peoples and Communities from a very young age. He is a member of the Rosalino Gomes Articulation, actively following processes aimed at guaranteeing various traditional territories, such as the Berço das Águas verdant territory. At Cerrado Network, Samuel contributes to social mobilization, political articulation and fundraising, and is a member of the organization’s Monitoring Council. He was elected president of the National Council of Traditional Peoples and Communities for the 2023-2025 biennium.
*Group/category of Traditional Peoples and Communities in Brazil
Isabel Figueiredo is Ecologist MsC and Coordinator of the Cerrado and Caatinga Program of the Institute Society, Population and Nature (ISPN). Isabel has been working for eighteen years within Brazilian civil society focusing in the Cerrado conservation with traditional peoples and communities to promote sustainable management of landscapes and communities’ rights. She has already travelled almost the entire Cerrado, visiting communities and witnessing the impacts of the advancement of agribusiness.
Bianca Nakamato is Environmental and Urban Engineer, currently specializing in Human Rights, Social Responsibility and Global Citizenship at PUC-RS. Conservation specialist, she has a 10-year experience in corporate sustainability, ESG, supply chains, agriculture, fundraising and project management. Bianca worked for a large multinational agricultural company, a national export association, and currently works for WWF-Brazil, where she led the private sector engagement strategy for zero deforestation until 2023. Today she is able to direct her passion for Cerrado as the Cerrado facilitator in the organization, the role responsible for the biome’s strategy.
Jurjen de Waal is senior director of Mighty Earth.
