Chief Raoni Metuktire,

an Indigenous leader from Brazil's Amazon

is urging regional heads to step up

their efforts to preserve the rainforest

that is vital to his people's

survival and the global climate

"We, the Indigenous peoples, are feeling the climate change. Many rivers are drying up. We are feeling very hot, and the village temperature is very high. The forests are dry. The rivers are drying up because there is a lot of heat and little rain, and this is perceived in the villages, in the indigenous communities."

Deforestation in the Amazon has decreased since

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office

but now the farm lobby is pushing the Brazilian Congress to

end further recognition of indigenous ancestral lands

Raoni is a chief of the Kayapo people

Their reservation, the Xingu National Park, has become

encircled by soy plantations and cattle ranches

that dry up rivers, which are also being

polluted by illegal gold miners

"I am worried about the future of the new generation. The rivers and forests need to be preserved. So that we can all continue to use these resources, I warn these things because I receive messages from great spirits who speak and guide how to live and take care of our nature and the environment. If we continue to deforest, we will continue to have problems not only for indigenous people but also for all people. We must preserve it so that our grandchildren and children can live well, sleep well, eat well, and be happy like us."