From the rooftop of the Casa de Mujeres Amazónicas in Puyo, Ecuador, the horizon opens onto the vast green tapestry of the southern Amazon. The Casa is more than a building – it is a collective: a sanctuary for women seeking safety, a space for movement building, and a hub for women’s economic initiatives. It is a profound honor that Patricia Gualinga, Kichwa of Sarayaku and founding member of Mujeres Amazónicas, joined our board this year.
As I stood there on a beautiful evening watching the sun set over the rainforest and mountains, I was surrounded by the courageous women of Mujeres Amazónicas and my Amazon Watch colleagues, a few experiencing the Amazon’s majesty for the first time. This most biodiverse region on Earth is now the front line of an intensifying struggle between powerful forces pushing for more oil drilling and Indigenous peoples defending their territories, the rainforest, and their ways of life. At this critical moment, an unprecedented alliance of seven Indigenous nations across Peru and Ecuador – the Achuar, Wampis, Chapra, Sápara, Shiwiar, Kichwa, and Andoa – has come together to resist oil expansion in their territories. I am proud that Amazon Watch is accompanying this historic alliance, mobilizing resources, amplifying their voices, and standing as a crucial ally in the defense of the rainforest. Solidarity is not only our mission – it is the foundation of our work.
Alongside the advance of oil companies, a surge in organized crime is putting enormous pressure on Indigenous peoples. Women, girls, and youth are often the first targets, fracturing the social fabric of families and communities. In response, our new Amazon Crime campaign is exposing the problem, advancing critical policy recommendations, and supporting partners to strengthen their territorial governance. Over the last year, we mobilized resources through our solidarity grantmaking vehicle, the Amazon Defenders Fund, to protect threatened defenders, providing evacuation, safe houses, security systems, and installing large-scale solar and communications infrastructure in 15 Indigenous communities in Peru’s Ucayali region, where communities are resisting the expansion of coca production.
In a world increasingly in denial about the consequences of climate change and fossil fuel extraction, Amazon Watch is doubling down on our grassroots partnerships. This is a hallmark of my leadership: just as our partners on the ground do not have the luxury of backing down, neither can we. We are deeply grateful for your partnership on this journey. I invite you to read this Annual Report as a testament to what we have achieved together – and as a call to continue standing with those defending the Amazon, our climate, and our collective future.
For the Amazon
Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director
