BRASILIA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Brazil's tribal Indians are being killed at the fastest rate in at least two decades in clashes with police, farmers and each other over scarce land and natural resources.

At least 76 indigenous people were killed in 2007, according to preliminary figures from the Indigenous Missionary Council of the Roman Catholic Church.

It is the highest number since the watchdog group began monitoring killings 20 years ago and is likely to rise as reports from outlying areas trickle in.

Many of the victims were killed for defending their ancestral lands, others for denouncing human rights abuses or corruption, and some due to drug-related conflicts.

"Farmers, loggers, drugs, and booze -- they're all encroaching on the Indian's traditional land and lifestyle," said council vice-president Roberto Liebgott.

"It's tragic that there is no room for the original inhabitants of this large country," said Liebgott, referring mainly to over-crowded reservations in the southwestern state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where most killings occurred.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN23617840