Brazil's Lula, seeking to curb deforestation, recognizes new indigenous territories

April 29 (UPI) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has officially recognized six indigenous territories in the first such demarcation since 2018, stepping up his efforts to stop deforestation of the Amazon.

The recognition, announced by the president on Friday, occurred in six Brazilian states -- Arara do Rio Amonia, Kariri-Xoco, Rio dos Indios, Tremembe da Barra do Mundau, Uneiuxi and Avá-Canoeiro.

"Today we demarcated six indigenous territories, an important step," Lula said on social networks, according to Telesur. "Do not stop organizing and demanding. The government exists to serve the interests of the people."

The Brazilian leader said the struggle for the demarcation of indigenous peoples "is a struggle for respect, rights and protection of our nature and our country. Let's go ahead."

Lula has pledged to demarcate more indigenous territory as a means of returning land to Indigenous peoples as well as cutting down on deforestation.

The leftist president pledged at the UN climate change conference COP27 last year to protect the Amazon rainforest and strengthen inspection bodies and monitoring systems and clamp down on "environmental crimes."

He has said demarcating lands to indigenous peoples is necessary for the country to reach its 2030 "zero deforestation" goals in the Amazon.