Half of the world's remaining uncontacted indigenous groups could disappear within a decade without concerted action conservation efforts. This grim assessment is detailed in new report published October 27 by a non-profit advocacy group Survival Internationaland is based on years of field research, interviews, and information-gathering expeditions.
“Uncontacted peoples reject contact as a conscious choice in the face of colonizing attacks—and this is their right under international law,” the report’s authors write in their main findings. “When their rights are respected, they thrive and survive.”
“Explicit expression of one's autonomy”
Survival International now believes that at least 196 self-sustaining, non-contact groups remain in various remote locations around the world. The vast majority of them—about 95 percent—live in Amazon Basinespecially in the rainforests of Brazil. Other tribes live within the borders of nine other South American countries, as well as in Asia and various Pacific islands. Researchers believe these communities can remain healthy and stable if they are not threatened by outsiders. They also often serve as stewards of their biodiverse “green islands in deforestation areas.”
According to the report, avoidance by non-contact communities in modern society is often a decision related to previous disastrous encounters with outsiders. Diseases such as influenza and measles may be common or easily preventable in the industrialized world, but these infections are catastrophic for indigenous peoples who do not have the same immunity. Survival International previously stated that it is not uncommon for 50 percent of a non-contact group to die within one year of contracting Eurasian infections.
“The refusal of contact by uncontacted people is often rooted in memories of devastating past conflicts and invasions that brought
External threats
The report's data clearly shows that these communities are under threat not from within, but from outside. Their biggest threat, undoubtedly, remains corporate theft of land from companies intent on exploiting natural resources. Deforestation puts about 65 percent of uncontacted people at risk and often precedes further environmental destruction. Mining projects also affect more than 40 percent of these groups, while about a fifth of them also face agribusiness challenges such as cattle ranching. Almost a third of the population is at risk from drug trafficking and illegal mining operations.
Another serious danger comes from missionary attempts at evangelization and assimilationwith one in six isolated indigenous groups facing the prospect of such unexpected encounters. Social media influencers also represent a more recent problem with their excursions into protected areas for maintenance.
While international laws recognize the rights of all indigenous peoples, including voluntarily isolated tribes, Survival International says national laws are much more inconsistent and governments are not always willing to enforce them. Advocates emphasize the need for improved oversight and commitment to the well-being of these communities.
“We are now in a moment of institutionalized genocide. They are killing us with pen and paper,” Brazilian tribal member and advocate Celia Xacriaba said in a statement. “We Indigenous people don't just die when they kill our leaders. We die collectively when they take our land.”
“Disaster is looming – and there is a clear way to avoid it. We can respect the clear choice of uncontacted peoples to remain alone,” added Survival International director Caroline Pearce.
Despite the growing danger, isolated tribes continue to demonstrate their resilience. As environmental experts, they remain self-sufficient when their land is properly protected, and actively resist outside interference by setting traps and signs nearby. Sometimes uncontacted tribes attacked and even killed violators.
There are also some people who met outsiders and became at least partially integrated into industrial society. However, according to Survival International, they often regret this decision.
Wamaxua Awa, a member of the uncontacted Brazilian Awa tribe, said they had a “good life” before leaving the forest. “Now, if I meet one of the uncontacted Awa in the forest, I will say: 'Don't go! Stay in the forest… there is nothing outside for you,” they explained.
Home of the Future 2025 Awards
