Brazil Before being hit by a logger, Paulo Paulino chief of the Guajajara tribe spent most of his life protecting the Amazon forest.

In April, members of the Guajajara tribe traveled to Brazil's capital, Brasilia, to call on the government to protect the Amazon forest from bandits who invade their lands in the state of Maranhao. In August, the state's human rights minister sent a letter to the federal police warning that the Guajajara tribe is threatened by illegal loggers in their native Arariboia territory.

However, these warnings did not protect Paulino. During a hunting trip at the Arariboia reserve on November 1, the chief and his friend Laercio Guajajara were illegally exploited by resources from five loggers in the ambush area. Laercio was injured and was discharged, but Paulino was hit by a bullet in his neck and died, leaving one child behind.

Paulino, 26, founded the Amazon Forest Guards group of members of the Guajajara tribe in 2012, in order to protect their lives and territories from illegal resource exploitation. Guajajara is one of the largest indigenous groups in Brazil with about 20,000 people.

The work of this group includes armed patrols and destroying illegal logging camps, leaving them with many dangerous enemies. Several guards in Maranhao state have been killed over the years, including three in the Arariboia reserve.

"We are protecting our own land and life here, like animals, birds, even Awa people living together. So many things are destroying nature. hardwood like steel is cut down and taken away. We have to preserve this life for the future of our children and grandchildren, "the young leader added.

Earlier this year, Paulino also expressed to Survival International, a non-governmental organization for the rights of indigenous people, about his anger at witnessing the destruction of forests. "Do those people think they can come here and go inside our house? No. We won't allow it. We won't break into their house and steal. My blood is boiling because it's so hot." indignant, "he said.

Gil Rodrigues, a member of a missionary council, who claimed to have a close personal relationship with Paulino's family, said they considered themselves the watchmen for the "heart" of the Amazon forest. Paulino had instilled this mindset since childhood. "He is a young man who always worries about preserving things for future generations," Rodrigues said.

However, according to Sarah Shenker, a Brazilian researcher at Survival International, the efforts of the Amazon Forest Guards team are only "devastating in the middle of the sea." After several visits to Maranhao in the past three years, Shenker began to better understand Paulino. The last time they met was in April, when the dry season began, a time when Amnesty International warned that "bloodshed" would happen if the Brazilian government did not protect the indigenous people.

"I am not saying that he is completely fearless. Like everyone else, he has his own fear, like the risk of being killed. Paulino thinks that he can be killed at any time and often asks questions. It's just time, "Shenker said.

Paulino's departure was among a series of losses to indigenous communities in Brazil, as miners and loggers made more and more daring intrusions into indigenous peoples' territories and areas. other conservation. Meanwhile, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said that these areas should be open to trade.

"The Brazilian government has not complied with the obligation to protect indigenous people prescribed in the constitution," said Gilberto Vieira, deputy secretary of the Brazilian Indigenous Missionary Council. In June, illegal miners also invaded the lands of the Wajapi community and stabbed one of the tribal leaders.

In a statement about Paulino's death, the Brazilian indigenous association APIB accused the Bolsonaro government of having "bloody hands" of tribes. "The growing violence in indigenous territories is a direct reflection of their hate speech, as well as measures against indigenous people in Brazil," the notice said.

The Paulino ambush also took place at a time when the whole world was outraged by the record fire in the Amazon, because it could undermine global efforts to fight climate change. Paulo Moutinho, a senior expert at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, said indigenous lands have the lowest levels of deforestation among the preserved areas in the Amazon.

"If we want to protect the great benefits that the Amazon forest brings, the basic thing we need to do is recognize the rights of indigenous people to the land. They provide invaluable assistance," Moutinho said. specified.

The last time he met Paulino, researcher Shenker and the Amazon Forest Guards team traveled deep into the forest to check for illegal logging, after which they found a recently abandoned camp. When the guards burned it down, Shenker remembered Paulino's attitude when he saw the fire.

"The illegal logging camp and the debris everywhere make Paulino extremely angry. While there are people profiting from the forest, his tribe suffers," she said. Paulino also shared his fears.

"I'm betting my life on this, but I think there's no other way," he said, then returned to patrol work.