Mato Grosso takes legal action in the Supreme Court against the demarcation of Indigenous land announced at COP30.

The governor of Mato Grosso, Mauro Mendes (União Brasil), is an avid defender of agribusiness. Not surprisingly, he signed a law in 2024 prohibiting the granting of state tax incentives to companies that signed the Soy Moratorium.

With such a strong appreciation for "agribusiness," Mendes is also an enemy of Indigenous Rights. Therefore, it is not surprising that he has taken the matter to the Supreme Federal Court (STF) against the demarcation of an Indigenous Territory in Mato Grosso, announced this week by the federal government after the Indigenous March in Belém, during COP30, according to g1 and Folha. Worse: using as an argument the infamous "time frame" law, approved by Congress at the end of 2023, despite the STF having already overturned this argument.

Mendes's action seeks to suspend the decree that establishes the Manoki Indigenous Territory in Brasnorte – the federal package includes two other territories in the state. She claims that the Lula government's measure disregards an article of the legislation that prohibits the expansion of already demarcated territories, requesting an increase in the Indigenous Land from 46,000 to 252,000 hectares.

The two areas, however, are in different locations. The smaller territory is demarcated as an area for the Irantxe people (the name by which the Manokis are also known among non-indigenous people). The Manokis do not recognize this as their original territory and have claimed the 252,000-hectare area, which is located in another region.

Read the full story on the website. Climainfo.