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Brazil is Indigenous Land! And the evidence is everywhere: in the names of streets and towns, in the vocabulary, in the cuisine and in the customs. And for indigenous peoples, the territory is much more than a piece of land. It's where community life happens.

It is estimated that, at the time of the European invasion, there were more than 1.000 different peoples, totaling up to four million people. Currently, there are 305 peoples, speakers of about 274 languages, according to data from the last Census (2010). They are primarily responsible for the preservation of little more than 10% of the national territory.

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Historically, the Indigenous Lands are the most protected territories in the Amazon. In the last four years deforestation, fire and land grabbing have skyrocketed, but indigenous peoples and their territories have stopped further degradation. A recent study from the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) proved that forests need people.

According to ISA monitoring, there are 241 Indigenous Lands with a demarcation stage between restricted, under study, approved and declared. But during the current government, no process has progressed to the final approval.

After a disastrous season for indigenous peoples in Brazil, the next four years will be decisive for the socio-environmental agenda. The growth of "Cocar bench"' in the National Congress, led by Sonia Guajajara (PSOL-SP) and Celia Xakriabá (PSOL-MG), applications supported by the indigenous movement, represents a possibility of change. In the entire history of Brazil, only two representatives had been elected to Congress: Joênia Wapishana from Roraima, in 2018, and Mário Juruna, from the Xavante people, in 1982.

But not everything is perfect. The expectation is that the “Bancada do Cocar” will face great opposition, represented by the growth of parliamentarians opposing socio-environmental rights, as is the case of elected federal deputy Ricardo Salles (PL-SP), former Minister of the Environment and main responsible by the Bolsonaro government's anti-environmental policy.

The impact of the first round on the socio-environmental agenda in the new Congress was measured by the Green Lighthouse, a project of the Democracy and Sustainability Institute (IDS) and the Collaborative Advocacy Network. The initiative created the Total Environmental Convergence Indicator (ICAt) to assess parliamentarians' commitment to the agenda. On a scale of 0% to 100%, the higher, the more “green”.

According to the survey, the percentage of “green” deputies (above 50%) will drop from 30% to 27% and of “moderate” (average ICAt) will drop from 30% to 33%, while those with ICAt below 50 %, with low socio-environmental engagement, will rise from 37% to 42%. The Chamber's overall index today is 43%. With the new composition, it drops to 42%.

The challenges to be faced by the “Bancada do Cocar” will also depend a lot on the results of the second round. The next government will need to understand that the marginalization of indigenous peoples and policies is negative for all Brazilians. An anti-indigenous project is also a project against Brazil and does not fit into the country's future.