Nearly 200 Uncontacted Indigenous Groups Face Extinction, Report Warns
A new report released today reveals 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups across ten countries in South America, Asia, and the Pacific are at risk, with half facing extinction within the next decade due to encroaching industrial activity and other threats.
The five-year study, titled Uncontacted peoples: At the edge of survival, published by Survival International, identifies logging, mining, and agribusiness as primary dangers to these vulnerable populations. Even indirect contact, such as the spread of disease, poses a significant threat, as does the escalating climate crisis. The Amazon basin is home to more than 60 confirmed and dozens more reported isolated Indigenous peoples, with Brazil and Peru holding 90% of these groups. This news comes on the eve of Cop30, hosted by Brazil, highlighting the urgency of protecting these communities and the forests they inhabit – forests vital to global climate regulation.
In Brazil, a 1987 policy aimed at protecting isolated peoples has seen some success, leading to increased recognition and population growth. However, recent legislative changes, including the controversial “marco temporal” law passed in 2023, threaten to undermine these protections by only recognizing Indigenous territories occupied before October 5, 1988. This could invalidate claims to lands like those of the Pardo River Kawahiva people, who were first officially documented in 1999. Similar challenges are emerging in Peru, where disinformation campaigns deny the existence of isolated groups and proposed laws, like bill 12215/2025-CR, could dismantle existing territorial reserves. “Denial of their presence amounts to a campaign of extermination, which members of congress are trying to execute through new laws,” stated Julio Cusurichi Palacios, director of the programme for the defence of isolated Indigenous peoples for the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest – AIDESEP.
Funding intended for forest protection, including climate funding from sources like Germany and the UK, is being allocated alongside policies that permit forest destruction and resource extraction within these vital territories. Beto Marubo, Brasília representative for the Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley, emphasized the hypocrisy, stating, “These governments, sometimes the same agencies, permit the destruction of forests that hold significant volumes of carbon, rich biodiversity, and are home to the world’s most vulnerable human populations.” The situation underscores the complex interplay between conservation efforts and economic interests, and the critical need for governments to uphold their commitments to Indigenous rights and environmental protection, as outlined by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Further information on the threats faced by uncontacted tribes can be found at Survival International.
Officials from both Brazil and Peru have indicated they will continue to assess the situation and work towards balancing economic development with the protection of Indigenous territories, though concrete actions remain to be seen.
