[6] The guardians report their findings to the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources and the Federal Police, but activists say they rarely receive help.

[7] At the end of September 2019, "the Guajajara sent a request for help to the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) and the government of Maranhão, as threats by loggers and land grabbers had reached alarming levels.

"[8] During an interview with Reuters just a few months before his death, Paulo told reporters that the guardians' job is often dangerous, but there is no other option, "I'm scared at times, but we have to lift up our heads and act.

[9] On Friday 1 November 2019, Paulo Paulino Guajajara was fatally shot in the face while on a hunting trip inside the Arariboia Indigenous reserve in Maranhao.

[13] Gaujajara's murder occurred amid "an increased number of invasions on Indigenous reservations since President Jair Bolsonaro took office and promised to open the land up to economic development.