Exclusive: Automatic cameras in the Brazilian rainforest show images of the Massaco people, who are flourishing despite environmental threats

Summary

Images from automatic cameras reveal the first detailed glimpse of the isolated Massaco community in the Brazilian Amazon, estimated to have doubled in size since the 1990s to 250 people.

Despite threats from ranchers, loggers, and miners, the Massaco remain resilient, using strategies like spikes to deter outsiders.

Brazil’s no-contact policy, initiated in 1987 to protect isolated Indigenous peoples from disease and exploitation, has led to population growth among similar groups.

However, chronic underfunding and illegal encroachments continue to threaten these communities and the forests they protect.