Indigenous Brazilian Activist Wins Goldman Environmental Prize

Alessandra Korap Munduruku, 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize winner for Brazil, paddles in a canoe in an undisclosed area in the Amazon, Brazil January 15, 2023. Goldman Environmental Prize/Handout via REUTERS

Alessandra Korap Munduruku, a fierce advocate for the rights of her people and their land, has won the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for her campaign against destructive mining in the Amazon rainforest. She is one of six winners chosen by the San Francisco-based Goldman Foundation for their outstanding contributions to environmental protection.

Alessandra, who hails from the Munduruku tribe, played a key role in persuading mining companies to respect Indigenous territories in the region. In May 2021, mining giant Anglo American agreed to withdraw 27 research applications to mine on Indigenous lands, including Alessandra’s Sawré Muybu territory on the Tapajos River. Other major mining firms followed suit, leading to a significant shift in private sector accountability for destructive mining in Brazil.

Despite this achievement, Alessandra’s community still faces the threat of illegal gold miners who have invaded their territory in growing numbers under the administration of Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. She called on the new leftist government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to formally recognize her people’s land urgently.

Alessandra, who is 38 years old, plans to use the prize money to complete her university studies and become a lawyer. She said the prize recognizes her community’s struggle and sends a message to the world that multinational companies cannot come in without consulting Indigenous people.

Re-reported from the story originally published in.. https://www.reuters.com/