Lima, Peru – A new report published by the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), the Regional Organization AIDESEP Ucayali (ORAU), Amazon Watch, and the Institute of the Common Good (IBC), warns that more than 270 Indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon face critical risks of invasion, violence, and displacement due to expanding drug trafficking routes.
The report details the river, land, and air routes used to produce and transport cocaine across the Peruvian amazon. It finds that drug trafficking and land defense conflicts led to the assassination of at least 27 Indigenous leaders between 2020 and 2025.
The report also critically analyzes recent Peruvian anti-drug policies, stating that many have fueled coca expansion and land trafficking, often harming the collective rights of Indigenous peoples. It specifically denounces the issuance of individual land titles within Indigenous territories, which has enabled territorial fragmentation and invasions.
In response, Indigenous organizations propose concrete measures to address this crisis, including collective titling and recognition of Indigenous peoples as key political actors in combating criminal economies.
The role of consumer countries
The report also urges the United States and European nations – the main destinations for cocaine from the Amazon – to take responsibility. The signatory organizations criticize international cooperation models that have supported failed Peruvian drug policies and call for major reforms that prioritize Indigenous territorial protection as a key strategy to curb drug trafficking. The report argues that recognizing Indigenous peoples as strategic allies in forest protection and regional stability is a shared global responsibility.
International advocacy
The organizations will launch an international advocacy agenda to present their proposals at the upcoming Summit of Amazonian Presidents, to the president of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), and to major negotiating blocs at COP30. They aim to elevate Indigenous territorial defense as a priority on both climate and regional security agendas.
Quotes
“Amazon Watch has worked on this issue for four years, documenting the reality on the ground. This report marks a milestone in a broader strategy to bring territorial perspectives into international spaces and generate lasting change,” said Vladimir Pinto, Amazon Watch’s Peru Coordinator.
“We, the Indigenous defenders, face threats from drug traffickers when we speak out,” said Marcelo Odicio, President of the Kakataibo Federation. “We are calling for real change in how this crisis is addressed. Our territories and self-protection systems need global government support.”
