[07/24/2007] Reuters Reports: Slave Descendants Invade Aracruz Brazil Plantation

Slave descendants invade Aracruz Brazil plantation
24 Jul 2007 20:18:43 GMT
Source: Reuters

BRASILIA, July 24 (Reuters) - Part of a eucalyptus plantation belonging to Brazilian pulp and paper company Aracruz was invaded by descendants of slaves claiming ownership, a company spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

As many as 500 people stormed onto the Aracruz plantation in Espirito Santo state on Monday, felling trees and blocking roads to claim 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) of land planted with eucalyptus trees two years from harvest. They said the land belongs to their ancestors.

Under Brazilian law, communities of descendants of former slaves are entitled to the land they traditionally inhabited.
"It's a vast area. We can calculate the impact only when we have a more precise idea of how many trees were felled," an Aracruz spokeswoman said.

Aracruz is the world' largest producer of bleached eucalyptus pulp.

Tribal Indians invaded some 11,000 hectares of the Espirito Santo property on Tuesday, according to a statement from Brazil's indigenous missionary group Cimi.

Aracruz was alerted by the Indians but had no further information about the situation, the spokeswoman said.

The government of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged to grant more land titles to slave descendants, or quilombolas, but progress has been slow in processing land claims and settling related lawsuits.

Brazil brought an estimated 4 million slaves from Africa to work its fields and mines, more than any other country. Slavery ended in 1888.

Land rights to the property invaded this week are still being investigated, a spokeswoman for the government's agrarian reform institute Incra said.

"They're protesting because the process is stalled," the spokeswoman said, adding that a strike at the agency had slowed progress on the case.

Aracruz eucalyptus plantations, especially the company's 279,000 hectare plantation in the state of Espirito Santo, have repeatedly been invaded by Indians and others claiming previous rights to the land. (Reporting by Andrea Welsh)
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