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Angry crowds demanded entry to the compound hosting this year’s UN conference in the Brazilian city of Belém, attended by thousands of delegates from around the world.

Some waved flags bearing slogans calling for land rights or carried banners reading "Our lands are not for sale".

Social media videos showed protesters, apparently from indigenous groups, waving flags featuring the logo of Juntos, a left-wing Brazilian youth movement.

In online footage, some protesters wearing traditional indigenous clothing were seen shouting slogans, kicking the doors of the COP30 entrance, and scuffling with security personnel.

The UN told the BBC that demonstrators breached the first security barriers but were prevented from entering further inside.

The COP30 talks are officially taking place from Monday, November 10, to Friday, November 21, with delegates from about 200 countries participating.

This year’s meeting marks the tenth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement, in which countries pledged to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The conference is being held for the first time in Brazil, in Belém, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.

The choice of location has been controversial, particularly among Amazon residents who have loudly criticized the environmental damage caused to their homes by climate change and deforestation.

Brazil also continues to issue new licenses for oil and gas — fossil fuels that, along with coal, are major contributors to global warming.