Brazil Law Fuels Land Invasion in Indigenous Territory

A new state law in Pará, Brazil, combined with a social media campaign, encouraged around 500 people to invade the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory, putting an uncontacted group at risk.

A new state law in Pará, Brazil, helped legitimize and encourage an invasion of the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory, home to an uncontacted Indigenous group. A Mongabay investigation details how a fast-tracked state law and a coordinated social media effort led to around 500 people occupying the federally protected land.

The state law, authored by legislator Francisco "Torrinho" Torres, created a new environmental protection area, APA Bacajaí. Torres, a rancher with a history of environmental fines and agribusiness backing, presented the measure in June 2026 as a solution for rural families needing land regulation. The 142,400-hectare reserve overlaps entirely with the Ituna/Itatá Indigenous Territory, an area under a land-use protection order since 2011 to safeguard the isolated Igarapé Ipiaçava people.

Brazil’s Constitution designates Indigenous lands as federal property, making state-level land claims within them illegal. Federal prosecutors and Brazil’s Ministry of Indigenous Peoples told Mongabay that the state law created legal uncertainty and increased pressures on the Indigenous people. Weeks after the law passed, in August, nearly 200 people invaded the territory, tearing down warning signs and setting up camps.

Data analysis by Mongabay and Instituto Dados contradicts the narrative of small farmers needing land. It reveals 97% of illegal land claims inside Ituna/Itatá since 2015 are for medium or large properties, suited for big agricultural enterprises. Dozens of registrants already own other farms outside the territory. Heron Martins, executive director at Instituto Dados, stated that the predominance of medium and large properties indicates this is not an occupation by subsistence family farmers. He added that such registrations serve as "documentary evidence" to pressure for future regularization. Experts warn about the risk of an ongoing genocide for the Igarapé Ipiaçava people unless authorities act to evict the occupiers.

This situation underscores the importance of understanding land rights and local political dynamics when considering stays or investments in regions with Indigenous populations.