Today, a delegation of Brazilian indigenous leaders begins a historic journey in defense of their peoples' rights and territories. Over the next month, leaders of Brazil's National Indigenous Movement will visit twelve European countries to report on the brutal and escalating violations inflicted upon the country's indigenous community since...
The Guardian | "I believe that peace triumphed," said Patricia Gualinga, from the Amazonian Kichwa community of Sarayaku. "But I feel a knot in my throat about the loss of the lives of indigenous brothers. There is a lot of pain to be healed and the government should be aware of this."
"It is necessary that an independent commission be established, to exhaustively investigate the human rights violations committed and identify those responsible." said Carlos Mazabanda, Amazon Watch's field coordinator in Ecuador.
Lima, Peru – On the heels of widespread indigenous protests in Ecuador, and at the Latin American Parks Congress, the Indigenous federations that are part of the Amazon Sacred Headwaters Initiative called for emergency support to stop the governments of Ecuador and Peru from expanding new fossil fuel, mining, and large-scale industrial development...
We, the Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador and Peru together with our allies, call on the global community for solidarity, as our very survival depends on the survival of the Amazon rainforest which is under constant and unprecedented attack.
"How can we talk about 'development', when our territories where we've lived for hundreds of years are being exploited, are being auctioned off, turned into new oil concessions. This undeniably affects us!"
"There must be justice to have peace," said Leila Salazar-López, Amazon Watch Executive Director. "Ecuador has a new opportunity to truly be a plurinational state that guarantees the economic, social, and cultural rights of indigenous peoples, as established in its constitution, and implement international human rights treaties to which it is...
The New York Times | Under the agreement, Mr. Moreno pledged to withdraw from an International Monetary Fund-backed program, known as Decree 883, that raised fuel prices, and the Indigenous leaders agreed to call off more protests. The two sides agreed to work together to put in place a new economic policy of government spending cuts and taxes to increase revenues.
Quito, Ecuador – We are women of peace, defenders of our territories and our families. We are making this statement after much pain and indignation, witnessing so much inhuman repression, and after many days of suffering, racism and violence against our brothers and sisters who participate in the National Strike, where people are demonstrating in...
"For centuries, we have protected our lands in the mountains and the Amazon, and we will not allow indigenous peoples, indigenous territories, and our global climate to pay the cost for the government's mounting debt to China and international lenders. Once again, we are putting our bodies and our lives on the line to protect our families, rights...
Brasília, Brazil – A delegation of Indigenous leaders will visit twelve European countries between October 17 and November 20 to report serious violations against Brazilian Indigenous Peoples since President Jair Bolsonaro took office. Led by the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), in partnership with civil society organizations...
Puyo, Pastaza – The Amazon Women Defenders of the Rainforest are concerned about the current situation in Ecuador brought about by the recent economic measures adopted by the government of President Lenin Moreno, and we are bearing witness to threats to human rights.
"This moment of crisis presents Ecuador with a unique opportunity to heed the call of its people, support indigenous-led solutions, begin a transition to a post-petroleum economy, and put into practice the visionary concepts guaranteed by their Constitution, including the rights of nature and 'buen vivir' (living well), as well as respecting...
As fires continue to rage in the Amazon rainforest, millions of people have taken to the streets around the world to demand radical, systemic change to the way humanity is handling the climate catastrophe. At New York's Climate Week, indigenous leaders from the Amazon, pro-democracy activists from Brazil, and members of Amazon Watch's team arrived...
"We need a real commitment from Bolsonaro's government to protect Brazil's forests and their indigenous and traditional communities, who are the true guardians of the Amazon. Bolsonaro has promised 'zero tolerance' for explosive deforestation and subsequent widespread arson; however, his policies and rhetoric have actually encouraged such crimes."
"Ecuador's decision to leave OPEC lays bare its intentions to expand production in its Amazonian oil fields, which lie underneath lands titled to indigenous peoples opposed to extraction and are some of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.," said Kevin Koenig, Climate and Energy Director for Amazon Watch.
"The Chevron’s case rested on the paid testimony of a witness who was paid over $1 million. He admitted to changing his story multiple times, to sweetening his deal with Chevron. That was the star witness for Chevron in this case. I can’t think of any other case that I have worked on that I think is as great a travesty of justice to a particular...
This short video, launched during Climate Week, is an effort to broaden the public's understanding about not only what is happening in the Amazon, but also what we can do about it as a global community. The time has truly never been more pressing, as the Amazon, the "lungs of the Earth," approaches a tipping point. As many more people sign the...
What does the world's largest asset manager have to do with the fires raging in Brazil and other parts of the Amazon? In short: a lot. As the world's biggest money manager, BlackRock plays a key role in deciding where and how the $6.5 trillion in funds they manage are invested.
"BlackRock is a powerful economic actor that provides significant financing for the expansion of agribusiness. Protests that raise global awareness on the true impacts of this company's financing are very important because they show how it drives deforestation, the destruction of indigenous lands, and the genocide of indigenous peoples. We need to...
"Bolsonaro's speech is outrageous, undemocratic, racist, and deeply violent against the indigenous peoples of Brazil... Bolsonaro must be held responsible for the destruction of the Amazon and the brutalizing of indigenous peoples underway in Brazil today."
The Guardian | "Not content with its attacks on indigenous peoples, the Brazilian government now seeks to legitimize its anti-indigenous policies by using an indigenous figure who sympathizes with its radical ideologies."
NBC News | Supporting Indigenous people and protecting their rights is another important route toward protecting the environment. "If you look at maps of the Amazon, there are these islands of intact forest and the vast majority of those islands are indigenous territories," said Moira Birss, Finance Program Campaign Director at Amazon Watch.
"We do not accept and will never accept the Brazilian government appointing our indigenous representation on its own without consulting us through our recognized and supported organizations and leaders."
"Next week is the United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. This would be the perfect moment for the U.S. financial institutions that have yet to take action for the Amazon to step up. To do otherwise would be to continue their complicity in Amazon destruction."
The current crisis is not the beginning of the assault on the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous guardians, and unfortunately, it will not be the last. Long before Brazil's current far-right government took power, local and global industrial interests set the stage for these fires, and they will not change their behavior unless they are...
Washington Post | "Land grabbers, miners, loggers have taken their lands and they've reacted by trying to protect it," said Brazilian lawmaker Edmilson Rodrigo.
The Guardian | "As long as you have this level of violence, lawlessness and impunity for the crimes committed by these criminal groups it will be impossible for Brazil to rein in deforestation. These criminal networks will attack anyone who stands in their way."
CalMatters | The central theory of the Tropical Forest Standard has been proven false time and time again, first with the Kyoto Protocol, then with numerous public and private programs known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, or REDD+.
