Dear friends of the Amazon,
The Amazon rainforest, its defenders, and our global climate are in a state of emergency. According to the latest scientific research, deforestation and degradation have compromised the ecological integrity of 26 percent of the Amazon, and parts of the region are already at a tipping point. It is critical that we work together to amplify the boldest calls and most ambitious commitments to protect 80 percent of the Amazon by 2025 and avert further climate chaos. We can do it if we take urgent action now!
In solidarity with Indigenous and forest peoples and a growing movement committed to protecting the Amazon, we are working against the clock to secure global commitments at the United Nations climate and biodiversity summits this year to ensure land rights and the permanent protection of millions of acres of Indigenous territories and sensitive areas across the rainforest. This is not an easy task considering the intensifying threats from fires, fossil fuel extraction, legal and illegal mining, land-grabbing, drug trafficking, and violence against Amazon defenders.
In response, we are expanding our international communications and advocacy campaigns to advance and amplify Indigenous rights, resistance, and solutions to protect and defend the Amazon Basin; developing and implementing rapid response protocols and campaigns to Defend Earth Defenders; and building on our longtime work to hold accountable the global drivers of Amazon destruction, including governments, corporations, and their financial backers, as outlined in our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan.
As a growing team of 35 people, and with field teams in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador, Amazon Watch is fully staffed to work directly with Indigenous and NGO allies in the region and internationally. Our field teams are accompanying Indigenous partners on the front lines of fossil fuel and mining extraction. And, we are now redirecting $2 million per year in rapid and direct solidarity funding to Indigenous and forest peoples via our Amazon Defenders Fund (ADF), including supporting urgent safety needs for Earth Defenders at risk. This year, up to thirty percent of the ADF budget will support women-led initiatives, as Indigenous women lead calls for healing and justice for women, girls, the Amazon, and Mother Earth.
With so much at stake for the Amazon and climate in the coming months and the next few years, we do not have time to waste on false solutions, including carbon offsets and corporate greenwashing. We are calling for the permanent protection of the Amazon, rights for its defenders, and climate justice. Thank you for taking this urgent stand with us!
In solidarity and with deep gratitude,
Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director
