Quilombo Kalunga

The largest quilombo in Brazil has a beautiful culture of preserving its territory, but the threat of degradation is a constant fear.

Culture, Resilience, and Love for the Cerrado

In the heart of the Brazilian Cerrado lies the largest quilombola community in the country. With a history marked by resilience and resistance, they were once protected by vast forests and imposing mountains.

Today, they fear that fire and degradation will destroy what has always been more than just land to them. The Cerrado is disappearing, losing an incredible 11,011 km² of native vegetation in just the past year. Of its more than 11,000 plant species, nearly half are found nowhere else in the world, and many are essential for the local communities' food, medicine, and crafts.

Quilombo Kalunga is an example. Known as guardians of the Cerrado, their lands near Chapada dos Veadeiros appear as a small green patch surrounded by large monoculture farms. Alone, they cannot protect one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the world.