Project
Forest Fires: Emergency Relief for the Indigenous Tenharim People of Amazonia
In autumn 2019, devastating forest fires swept through the rainforests of Amazonia, including the territory of the Tenharim people in the south-western Amazon rainforest of Brazil. The fires spiralled out of control, consuming vast stretches of forest and destroying significant parts of the sacred sites belonging to this indigenous community of around 1,000 people.
All state assistance for firefighting efforts was denied to the Tenharim. Together with South America correspondent Thomas Fischermann, we launched an emergency relief campaign for the indigenous community and, with your support, were able to raise and deliver a total of €13,200 in donations to the Tenharim on the ground. These funds enabled, among other things, the installation of essential technical equipment to fight the forest fires more effectively and to set up early warning systems. As a gesture of gratitude for the tremendous support and solidarity shown from Germany, the Tenharim sent us exclusive video footage from Brazil.
Picture: © Thomas Fischermann
Background
The Tenharim have lived in conflict with loggers, cattle ranchers, gold prospectors, and other illegal intruders since the 1970s, when the military government forcibly carved a road through their territory. There have been casualties on both sides. They are fiercely resilient and determined to protect the wildlife and spirits of their homeland. In the book Der letzte Herr des Waldes (The Last Lord of the Forest), written by the young Tenharim warrior Madarejúwa together with Thomas Fischermann, he states: “We have sworn that we will go to our deaths if necessary.”
The government-promised support – adequate firefighting personnel or even firefighting aircraft – has been slow to materialise, or in some cases has failed to arrive at all. The enormous distances to the fire sites deep within the rainforest are making firefighting efforts laborious and exhausting. The Tenharim must purchase fuel and hire suitable heavy vehicles to travel between the affected areas and their villages.
We are in close contact with author and South America correspondent Thomas Fischermann, who has strong ties to the Tenharim and is himself in regular contact with people on the ground. This allows us to offer the Tenharim our support in this situation. Nothing matters more to the Tenharim than fighting the fires immediately – protecting their homeland and, ultimately, their lives and those of countless animal and plant species.
Satellite Communications in the Jungle
Since the major forest fires of 2019, we have remained in contact with Thomas Fischermann and the Tenharim. In 2024, we were able to provide additional resources to help combat the fires that recur every year, supporting the people on the ground in their work to protect the critically important Amazon rainforest. You can read about how the Tenharim fire brigade is now combining traditional knowledge with cutting-edge satellite technology here (German only).
All images of the response team: © Marcio Tenharim
Milestones
2025 – Long-term Support
To ensure the continued use of the technical equipment (which has proved highly effective for the rapid identification and combat of fire outbreaks) we are taking on the ongoing subscription costs for the satellite technology.
2024 – Technical Equipment
To improve the organisation of firefighting efforts on the ground, we support the Tenharim fire brigade with technical equipment: we coordinate the procurement and transport of satellite-based communication technology to the heart of the Brazilian rainforest.
Autumn 2019 – Emergency Relief
As emergency relief to combat the devastating forest fires, we work together with Thomas Fischermann and, thanks to your generosity, deliver a total of €13,200 to the Tenharim. Their most pressing needs at the time are vehicles and boats, as well as fuel to reach the remote forest areas affected by the fires — resources that your donations can directly provide. Read the updates here (German only).
September 2019 – Major Fundraising Campaign
This year’s Amazon forest fires are taking on a particularly dramatic scale – government cuts to forest protection funding, combined with slow and sometimes absent state support, are severely hampering firefighting efforts. We organise a fundraising campaign to support the Tenharim: venues across the Kiez neighbourhood in Hamburg’s St. Pauli district host events celebrating wildlife conservation – and raise generous donations!