Under the slogan “The death of the forest is the end of our lives,” natural resource gatherers, riverbank inhabitants, and other traditional communities demanded during the march that their territories and way of life be recognized as essential to fight climate change.

Called the March of the Porongas (kerosene lamps), the march illuminated the city with the small lanterns used for decades by rubber tappers to navigate the rainforest.

These lights have become a historical symbol of the organization founded by Chico Mendes in the 1970s to defend the Amazon. The mobilization brought together workers who make a living from rubber harvesting, collecting Amazonian nuts, artisanal fishing, and agroforestry activities.

All of them depend directly on the forest, rivers, and coasts for their survival.

“For us, the territory is part of our bodies. If the forest or the rivers are sick, we are sick too,” said Letícia de Moraes, vice president of the National Council of Forest-Dwelling Communities (CNS).

According to this organization, the reserves and settlements where these communities live protect more than 42 million hectares of rainforest and store around 25.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂), an amount equivalent to 11 years of Brazil’s emissions.

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