(CNN) — The Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that would limit the recognition of indigenous ancestral lands, with 283 votes in favor, 155 against, and one abstention.
Indigenous Peoples Minister Sônia Guajajara described the vote as a “major attack against indigenous peoples and the environment”.
“PL490 Passed by the House: A Major Attack on Indigenous Peoples and the Environment. We continue to fight for life. Even in the Senate we will talk to avoid exchanging our lives for profit and destruction. No! surrender!” Guajajara tweeted on Tuesday.
The bill, known as PL 490/2007, deprives the Ministries of the Environment and Indigenous Peoples of some powers, weakening their control over environmental protection and the delimitation of indigenous lands. While the bill does not affect fully recognized indigenous territories, it would affect claimed territories.
The bill now goes to the Brazilian Senate.
