Editor\u2019s note:<\/p>
This article is the third of a three-part series examining Brazil\u2019s climate leadership through Indigenous stewardship: from grassroots influence<\/a>, to representation in congress<\/a>, and the outcomes of the country\u2019s first Ministry of Indigenous Peoples.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The creation of the Indigenous ministry was part of a broader strategy<\/a> by the government of Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva to reposition Brazil as a global climate leader, following the socioenvironmental setbacks<\/a> of the previous administration. Last year, more than 5,000 Indigenous representatives took part in the UN climate change summit, COP30, held in Brazil\u2019s Amazonian city of Bel\u00e9m, Par\u00e1 state. Progress<\/a> was made on key proposals, such as the demarcation of Indigenous lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite significant strides in protecting Indigenous lands and the environment, however, challenges remain. Illegal mining and extraction continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this Brazilian election year, Dialogue Earth analyses whether the ministry\u2019s creation has led to concrete results \u2013 and how this impacts Brazil\u2019s ambitions to be a global climate leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our analysis found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andreia Fanzeres, director of the Indigenous rights programme at Opan, an organisation that has worked on Indigenous issues for more than five decades, stated that these efforts had enabled Indigenous demands to reach more public and decision-making forums: \u201cThe voices of Indigenous peoples have reached unprecedented levels in terms of advocacy and being heard, and are now treated with greater respect than in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The new Indigenous ministry has been guided by a strategic plan<\/a>, setting out priorities such as the recognition and protection of Indigenous territories and the inclusion of more Indigenous people in positions of power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some success has been made but there is still work to be done, according to Dinamam Tux\u00e1, executive coordinator of the APIB, Brazil\u2019s largest Indigenous organisation: \u201cWe want specific and strengthened health and education services, more young people in universities, public policies implemented in our territories and, above all, for our lands to be demarcated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guajajara said her greatest challenge was to rebuild the Indigenous policy framework dismantled by Jair Bolsonaro, president until 2023, on a shoestring<\/a> budget. Much of the legislature she worked with remained largely hostile<\/a> to socioenvironmental issues. Even so, she stated, it had been possible to resume land demarcations, combat illegal mining and secure Indigenous representation in senior government posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Manoki Indigenous people have fought<\/a> through legal disputes and state evictions for more than 50 years to protect their territory. They finally found success at COP30 in November, when their land in Mato Grosso state was approved<\/a> for demarcation. However, intruders continue to extract timber, set fires and clear land for pasture and crops within the territory, all while plots are illegally auctioned off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe still cannot enjoy, plant or live on that part of the land,\u201d Manoki leader Marta Tipuici told Dialogue Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Land demarcations, which boost Indigenous rights to manage zoned land, are seen as a solution to the climate crisis. They have been found to reduce deforestation and empower communities to protect their environment. In her ministerial role, Guajajara had been advocating<\/a> for the recognition of Indigenous lands as part of the solution to the climate crisis, at multiple international events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indigenous lands, such as the Manoki territory, protect at least 36%<\/a> of the world\u2019s intact forests, whilst deforestation and degradation account for 15%<\/a> of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the Brazilian Amazon, of the 63,000 km2 deforested between 2012 and 2024, only 3% was on Indigenous lands, according to<\/a> the organisation Imazon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During Lula\u2019s term, 41 territories have been formally<\/a> recognised (20 ratified with full protection; 21 \u201cdeclared\u201d, an earlier stage) covering 4.8 million hectares. Further demarcations are still expected this year, according to Guajajara. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"indigenous](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260409_Sonia-Guajajara_ATL_Brasilia_Brazil_Edgar-Kanayko-Xakriaba_Dialogue-Earth.jpg\")
<\/div>\n
A ministry is born<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20260410_Dinamam-Tuxa_ATL_Brasilia_Brazil_Edgar-Kanayko-Xakriaba_Dialogue-Earth.jpg\")
<\/div>Recognition of territories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/20251118_Joenia-Wapichana_Sonia-Guajajara_recognised-four-indigenous-lands_COP30_Belem-Brazil_Juliana-Pesqueira_Amazonia-Real_Flickr-54933499660.jpg\")
<\/div>