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The Amazon Underworld report (based on the work of the Amazon Underworld research journalism project and developed together with the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime) shows how criminal organizations and armed groups have expanded their presence, increased their political control, and diversified their economies in the Amazon with disastrous impacts on Indigenous peoples.
Coca production, wildcat gold mining, and illegal logging are some of the principal drivers of deforestation and a primary source of contamination and environmental degradation in some of the most pristine parts of the Amazon. Ecosystems upon which Indigenous communities depend to sustain themselves are being destroyed, and communities themselves are often divided and their children recruited into illicit activities. The phenomena of illegality can advance very rapidly, placing Indigenous peoples in a situation of great vulnerability and constant risk, eventually leading to the decomposition of local communities.
At the same time, many Indigenous peoples and communities are defending their territories and livelihoods throughout the Amazon. In Peru, the Wampis peoples organize to safeguard their territories and expel gold miners. In Ecuador, the Indigenous Federation of the Napo mobilizes their peoples and pressures the government to act against illegal mining. Meanwhile in Brazil, the Munduruku, Yanomami, and Kayapó have formed a historic alliance to resist garimpo (small-scale illegal mining) activities in their territories. In the face of the invasion of coca crops, the Kakataibo and Shipibo-Konibo peoples in Peru have organized Indigenous guards to protect their territories. The price Indigenous organizations and leaders pay, however, is often very high. They face threats to their lives and families and are increasingly the target of violence and even murder.
This new report takes the lessons learned from our work with impacted communities and brings a regional look at the issue in order to advocate for effective and holistic policies that center Indigenous rights in efforts to contain organized crime. The main conclusions and recommendations were produced in collaboration with our Indigenous partners in Ecuador, Perú, Brazil, and Colombia.
The report proposes the need for “comprehensive public policies that go beyond simplistic repressive and sporadic law enforcement responses, and instead aim at transforming the structural conditions that drive criminal activities while reinforcing the capacities and collaboration between different stakeholders to contain organized crime.” Such strategies can only be successful if they center Indigenous territorial control, rights, and governance.
