Eye on the Amazon

August 14, 2019 – Yesterday, nearly 3,000 indigenous women leaders from across Brazil staged a mobilization in the nation’s capital as part of the country’s first Indigenous Women's March. Entitled "Territory: our body, our spirit,” this historic gathering was in response to escalating violations of indigenous rights under the Bolsonaro government, as native peoples and their lands fall increasingly under assault.

August 1, 2019 – Last month Amazon Watch visited the Munduruku people in the Amazonian state of Pará, whose nation stretches the vast Tapajós River basin. Our stay in the contested Sawré Muybu territory was illustrative of the spiraling threats faced by indigenous peoples in Bolsonaro’s Brazil. The Munduruku people have long fought to officially title this 440,000 acre territory, while the federal government has continually reneged on its constitutional duty to finalize this arduous process, leaving their ancestral domain in legal limbo and increasingly vulnerable to destructive invasions and land grabbing. In short, the Munduruku of Sawré Muybu live precariously in a deteriorating conflict zone.

Kichwa Communities Fight Fossil Fuel Expansion with Renewable Energy

July 11, 2019 – This spring, we carried out the second install of our Power to the Protectors program in three Kichwa communities in the central Ecuadorian Amazon, all threatened by new oil expansion. The equipment and training provided will be essential tools to support the communities’ ability to monitor their territory, denounce rights violations, and share their vision and story with the world.

July 2, 2019 – "As the Achuar People, along with the Wampis Nation, we completely reject the entry of GeoPark into our territory. You all are aware of human rights and environmental law, yet you still insist on polluting our lands. Understand that no matter how much you insist on entering our territory, we are never going to allow oil companies to come in."

June 25, 2019 – "It is also extremely concerning to us that Chevron has been able to leverage this apparently paid and largely false witness testimony to target the reputation of Mr. Donziger, who has worked for more than two decades with the affected communities in Ecuador to try to hold Chevron accountable for what is considered one of the worst oil-related environmental disasters on the planet."

June 18, 2019 – "The government tried to sell our lands to the oil companies without our permission. Our rainforest is our life. We decide what happens in our lands. We will never sell our rainforest to the oil companies."