The threat to the Amazon

A girl carries a note with the text "Our future is not for sale" during the demonstration in Brasilia. Eraldo Peres / AP  

The threat to the Amazon  

Indigenous peoples demand that more of the Amazon be protected  

Thousands of people from Brazil's various indigenous peoples are gathering this week in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, to demand increased protection of their lands, writes AFP. 

- Our land is an island of forest surrounded by devastation, says Yakari Kuikuro Mehinaku who lives in a reserve in the state of Mato Grosso.  

Experts believe that the indigenous reserve areas are an important protection against deforestation in the Amazon as a result of mining and agriculture.  

The minister in charge, Sonia Guajajara, has recently said that 14 new reserves will be established. 

Activist sunk mining giant: "Our people are strong"  

A leader of one of Brazil's indigenous peoples has, through his activism, caused one of the world's largest mining companies, Anglo American, to withdraw its applications for mining in the Amazon, writes the BBC. 

 - Anglo American may be stronger than me, but for me it is the river, our country and our people that are strong, says Alessandra Korap Munduruku.  

She is awarded this year's Goldman Prize, which is awarded to grassroots activists.