Brazil Creates Huge Indigenous Reserve in Amazon

BRASILIA — The Brazilian government created a huge reserve in the Amazon for an indigenous population that had demanded the territory for 30 years.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree creating the 1.7-million-hectare (4.2-million-acre) “Raposa Serra do Sol” reserve in Roraima state, which borders Venezuela and Guyana.

Some 15,000 people of the Macuxi, Taurepang, Wapixana and Ingariko ethnicities live in the area.

Some 565 non-natives who live in the area will have to leave the territory within one year. The group, mostly farmers, had vehemently opposed the move. They will be compensated and will receive federal aid.

Non-natives will need special authoritization to enter the reserve.

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