Brazil’s Supreme Court has sided with indigenous tribes in a vicious dispute over the future of a huge swathe of Amazon rainforest.

The court voted not to alter the current boundaries of the 4 million acre Raposa Serra do Sol reserve and affirmed the tribes’ rights to the land, despite heavy pressure from farmers and local leaders. The decision could set a precedent for other such reserves and prevent the conversion of jungle to agricultural land.

“The basis we established in this case, the conditions and procedures, will serve as a guide for other disputes,” says court president Gilmar Mendes (Bloomberg). “We are putting an end to the issues surrounding similar cases.”

A number of farms currently exist inside the reserve in Roraima state, and attempts to evict them last year were met with serious violence.

“There is no peaceful solution,” says Nelson Itikawa, president of the Roraima Rice Growers Association (Agencia Brasil, via AP). “It’s possible there will be a conflict – there are people who will lose control.”

Marcio Meira, president of the National Indian Foundation, told AFP, “This decision is a great victory for Indians and enshrines the rights of indigenous peoples.”

Image: Raposa Serra do Sol / Agencia Brasil under Creative Commons