"RIO DE JANEIRO - Maria Valdenice Nukini believes it's her duty to protect her ancestral territory in northern Brazil and raise awareness of the role indigenous communities play in protecting nature.

That's why she recently traveled 4,700 kilometers from her isolated reserve in the northern state of Acre to Rio de Janeiro to protest oil and gas exploration that may take place near her community, located on the border with Peru.

"Brazil is so big and there are so many other places to look for gas. Why do they want to work in the forest and destroy our land?" asked the 43-year-old."

Adriana Brasileiro reports for Thomson Reuters Foundation December 2, 2015. [2]