This week hundreds of representatives from five indigenous nationalities came together in a special assembly to defend their Amazon territory from oil, mining, logging, destructive dams and the commodification of nature.
Achuar
Resistance! Facing Down Goliath Oil Companies
The Achuar and U'wa indigenous peoples have me in awe of the immense power of grassroots resistance in the face of multi-billion dollar corporations. Years after graduating from university, I find myself once again a student. Throughout my tenure at Amazon Watch, I have been honored to "informally apprentice" under our wise and humble indigenous...
Celebrate #InternationalWomensDay!
Amazon Watch is proud to partner with indigenous women from across the Amazon basin to support their work to protect their ancestral territories from oil extraction and destructive mega-dam projects. These women are true leaders in the growing movement to protect the rainforest and all life.
Indigenous Peruvians Win Amazon Pollution Payout from US Oil Giant
Out-of-court settlement ends long legal battle for compensation for deaths, birth defects and environmental damage allegedly caused by Occidental's pollution
The Guardian | Members of the indigenous Achuar tribe from the Peruvian Amazon have won an undisclosed sum from Occidental Petroleum in an out-of-court settlement after a long-running legal battle in the US courts.
Peruvian Indigenous Communities Pleased with Settlement of Pollution Lawsuit Against Occidental Petroleum
"The parties are pleased to confirm a mutual settlement of the claims in the litigation. Under the settlement, the terms of which are confidential, Oxy will provide assistance for community development projects for the benefit of these five Achuar communities. All parties are satisfied with the resolution of this dispute."
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Stand-off in the Amazon: Tribes Shut Down Oil Company Airport
Digital Journal | Members of two different Peruvian native groups have occupied the airport of Pluspetrol, an Argentine oil company that is accused of failing to compensate local communities for damage to the environment.
Indigenous Groups Fight Back Against Oil Industry after Pipeline Spills Poison the Amazon
Fusion | No one ever expected Cuninico, a small riverside fishing village tucked in the heart of the world’s largest rainforest, to run out of drinking water. But it happened last June. Since then this remote Amazon hamlet has relied on state-run oil company PetroPeru to deliver shipments of bottled water from the nearest city, nine hours down river.
Peru's Indigenous Communities Are Fighting Back Against Environmental Contamination by Seizing Oil Wells
VICE | A conflict is raging in Peru's Amazon forests between indigenous groups and an Argentinian oil company. The Amazon dwellers have halted drilling and blockaded a jungle road for two weeks in protest of what they claim is a decades-long environmental catastrophe.
Peru's Indigenous People Protest Against Relicensing of Oil Concession
Kichwa communities bar River Tigre, an Amazon tributary, with cables to stop oil company boats from passing and accuse government of turning a blind eye to contamination from oil operations in the forest
The Guardian | Hundreds of indigenous people deep in the Peruvian Amazon are blocking a major Amazon tributary following what they say is the government's failure to address a social and environmental crisis stemming from oil operations.
Expelled from Ecuador: One Solar Visionary's Story
On July 17, Oliver Utne, a U.S. citizen residing in Ecuador with a valid visa, was abruptly questioned, detained, and forced to leave the country after being targeted by Ecuadorian immigration officials. Utne had been living in the country for several years and coordinating an innovative solar canoe project with the Achuar indigenous people.
Indigenous Amazonian People Threatened by Oil Drilling
The Planet / Sierra Club | Achuar resistance to oil exploration has achieved some success. Now the Ecuadorian government is attempting to take down indigenous leaders for defending their territory from oil development plans.
Indigenous Amazonía
On the front lines in the race to avoid ecosystem collapse
We know indigenous peoples are important stewards of the environment. But specifically how do they protect their territory? Watch a presentation by Amazon Watch's Andrew Miller on specific struggles in Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador.
Indigenous Leaders Say: Consultation Is Not "Nonsense"
Last week a delegation of indigenous leaders traveled from the Ecuadorian Amazon to the IACHR in Washington, DC to help advise the Ecuadorian government on consultation with indigenous peoples.
Canada’s Gran Tierra: Didn’t You Know Oil Doesn’t Mix with Water?
As Peru continues to expand oil activities in the Amazon, there's a new oil company with grand ambitions, Calgary-based Gran Tierra. Does Gran Tierra not understand the risks they are running? If so, they are in for a rude shock.
Amazon in Focus 2013
Plus Our Annual Financial Report for 2012
2013 follows a remarkable year for Amazon Watch and our partners in 2012: Talisman Energy and Conoco Phillips announced they would cease oil operations and leave the Peruvian Amazon; Belo Monte dam construction was significantly delayed in Brazil; and we celebrated the landmark decision of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in favor...
Another State of Environmental Emergency in the Peruvian Amazon?
Alianza Arkana Blog | The situation in the Corrientes is not new, and well-documented, as FECONACO noted: "since the 80s, studies in the region have shown the effects of contamination in fish, waters, and even the public health in communities."
Consultation or Conflict? The Fight for the Future of Natural Resource Investments in Peru
From the Amazon to the Andes, communities are protesting the devastation left by mining and oil projects. Successive governments have readily resorted to repressive measures.
Indigenous Peruvians Protest State Oil Company Taking Over Their Land
Members of the Achuar people say they won't allow Petroperu to enter their territory, but the company has other ideas
The Guardian | "Our protest has many meanings," says FENAP's president, Peas Peas Ayui, speaking from San Lorenzo in the Amazon where FENAP has an office. "We're not going to let any company enter. We are the owners. We are the original inhabitants. We want to live in peace. We have the right to stand up for ourselves and if Petroperu tries to enter we will...
From Bagua to Belo Monte: Preventing "Massacres Foretold"
Today – June 5th – is the fourth anniversary of one such "massacre foretold" in Peru. This past week, we worried about a similar scenario at the site of the controversial Belo Monte dam in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon.
Letters from the (Amazon Watch) Campaign Trail, Part II
Dearest Daughter, from Dad in the Amazon – Yesterday I left the Amazon jungle after an amazing week there. Prior to leaving however, I shared with my Achuar indigenous friends a dream I had about you.
Letters from the (Amazon Watch) Campaign Trail
Dearest Daughter, from Dad in the Amazon – This is my first international trip away from you since your birth eight months ago, and I already miss you tremendously. I want to explain to you the importance of this trip.
Ecuador Punts Its Oil Bidding Round but China May Be Only Taker
Financial Times | Ecuador is licensing a chunk of the Amazon and now has extended a deadline by which bid for oil blocks must be submitted. To some, it could suggest Ecuador had received less interest than initially hoped for.
Actress Michelle Thrush Helps Win Oil Company Concession for Indigenous Ecuadorians
Indian Country Today | Canadian Gemini award–winning Cree actress and self-proclaimed "artist in solidarity with Idle No More" Michelle Thrush is wielding her celebrity clout in defense of Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador.
Ecuador Extends Deadline for Bids on 11th Oil Round
Wall Street Journal | Quito, Ecuador – Ecuador has extended to July 16 the deadline to submit offers for companies interested in the country's 11th oil-licensing round for blocks located in the southeast.
Activists Protest in Canada Over Amazon Oil Auction in Ecuador
Wall Street Journal | Quito, Ecuador – Labor unionists, aboriginal activists and environmentalists on Wednesday called for the Ecuadorean government to suspend its auction of oil concessions in the country's Amazon rainforest.
Coalition Confronts Ecuador in Canada Over Amazon Oil Auction
Protests mark meeting between Canadian oil executives and Ecuadorian government
Calgary, Canada – Amidst protests from a broad coalition of Canadians and international allies, Ecuadorian government officials met with Canadian investors and oil company executives Wednesday at the Telus Convention Center in Calgary. Labor unionists, aboriginals, environmentalists and faith groups united in support of Idle No More, calling...
A Message from the Achuar to Canada
"I would like to thank our allies in Canada for their solidarity in this struggle. Thanks to the many actions taken we have achieved a great victory: a large and powerful corporation, Talisman, has been forced to leave our ancestral territory."
Ecuador to Sell a Third of Its Amazon Rainforest to Chinese Oil Companies
Indigenous groups claim they have not consented to oil projects, as politicians visit Beijing to publicise bidding process
Business Insider | "My understanding is that this is more of a debt issue – it's because the Ecuadoreans are so dependent on the Chinese to finance their development that they're willing to compromise in other areas such as social and environmental regulations," said Adam Zuckerman, environmental and human rights campaigner at Amazon Watch.
Ecuador's Amazon Rainforest May Be Auctioned to Chinese Oil Companies
Indigenous groups say they weren't consulted as required by constitution
U.S. News & World Report | Beijing, China – Ecuadorian officials met with the leaders of Chinese oil companies in Beijing this week to discuss plans to auction a large section of the Amazon Rainforest for oil exploration.
