British journalist Dom Phillips and a Brazilian indigenous affairs expert, Bruno Araujo Pereira, recently went missing in a remote corner of the Amazon rainforest. The duo were last seen in Vale do Javari — the western section of the Brazilian Amazon named after the Javari river, which forms the country’s border with Peru.

Why is the region significant?

The region where Phillips and Pereira went missing is spread over 85,444 sq km and, according to the Brazilian government, it is home to “the greatest concentration of isolated groups in the Amazon and the world”.

According to Brazil government’s indigenous foundation — FUNAI, the area is home to 14 different indigenous tribes with nearly 6,000 inhabitants. These tribes are known to reject contact with the outside world. But in spite of that there are repeated attempts to forcibly enter their resource-rich territory.

While the communities living in the Vale do Javari have been granted exclusive territorial rights in Brazil’s 1988 constitution and then in 2001 under the demarcation of indigenous territory, the area has been witnessing increasing illegal gold prospecting and poaching.

Vale do Javari also forms part of an international cocaine trafficking route, with gold being exchanged for drugs and arms, consequently making it a hotspot for violent crimes.

What has been the history of outsiders making forced contact here?

The turn of the 19th century marked a series of “invasions” in the area, mainly led by non-indigenous Peruvians, who arrived here to exploit rubber as a resource. This unleashed violence on these tribes with several reports pointing to rapes, theft of women, child abductions and enslavement. Consequently, this pushed these tribes to even deeper parts of the Amazon to avoid contact.

In recent times, the area has witnessed evangelical missionaries entering indigenous villages without permission from the tribal leaders or the concerned authorities. Several researchers too keep making attempts to contact these tribes to document their way of life.

How have these transgressions impacted this indigenous habitat?

The “invasions”, as they are referred to, have escalated violence against the indigenous people and the agencies tasked with protecting them. In 2017, 21 members of the Warikama Djapar tribe were murdered here. In the year before that, about 10 indigenous people belonging to an unidentified group known as the archers or “flecheiros” were killed by invading hunters.

Further, this has caused environmental degradation leading to creation of unstable ecological conditions for the inhabitants who depend on nature for their very survival. Outside contact also puts these tribes at a grave health risk.

In 1976, the Matus tribe lost approximately one-third of its population on account of contagious diseases. Given the tribes mainly use traditional remedies to cure illnesses they know about, foreign diseases often prove to be deadly.

What about the two men who went missing?

British journalist Dom Phillips and Brazilian indigenous affairs expert Bruno Araújo Pereira were last seen when they were on their way to Atalaia do Norte via boat.

While living in Brazil for the last 15 years, Phillips had been a consistent contributor to top newspapers, including The Guardian.

Bruno Pereira was on leave from Brazil’s indigenous affairs agency. Being one the agency’s most experienced employees, he had been the target of constant threats from illegal fishermen and poachers, and reportedly was armed with a gun at all times.

In the video released by Phillips’s sister after his disappearance, she stated that Philips was committed to the cause of safeguarding “nature and the livelihood of the indigenous people.”

Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox

🗞 Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access our in-depth reporting, explainers and opinions 🗞️

For all the latest Explained News, download Indian Express App.