Maroon Communities on the Front Line of Climate Change Adaption

Called Quilombos in Brazil, communities originally founded by fugitives from slavery have similar land rights as indigenous reserves

According to Brazil’s national census, 1.3 million Brazilians live in rural communities called Quilombos, which were founded by people who escaped slavery, and have similar land rights as indigenous reserves. During a field trip to Engenho Siqueira Quilombo during 19th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Recife, activists highlighted the important role that these communities have in monitoring the effects of climate change and protecting the environment.

The following is my news story for TeleSur English’s program “From the South.”