Whenever gold returns to the center of global geopolitics, the Amazon comes back into the crosshairs. The war between the United States and Iran has put the metal back on the radar of markets, investors, and the extractive industry.
Belo Sun
Brasília Becomes Indigenous Territory
Last week, Brazil’s capital Brasília was transformed into a center of Indigenous resistance. With more than 7,000 Indigenous people occupying the capital, the 2026 Free Land Camp (ATL) pressured Brazil’s government to uphold native land rights
Major Indigenous Protest in Brazil Targets Belo Sun Gold Mine Project
Thousands of Indigenous people marched in Brazil’s capital yesterday, during the second day of the 2026 Free Land Camp (ATL), the country’s largest Indigenous mobilization, to denounce land rights violations driven by large-scale mining, agribusiness, and logging projects.
Middle Xingu Indigenous Women Mark One Month of Mobilization Against Belo Sun’s Advance in the Amazon
One month into their occupation of the Altamira headquarters of Brazil’s National Foundation for Indigenous Peoples (FUNAI), Indigenous women from the Middle Xingu region led a peaceful action.
Indigenous Women Occupy Federal Agency to Demand Suspension of Belo Sun Mining’s License
More than 140 Indigenous people have occupied the Brazilian federal Indigenous agency FUNAI’s regional office to demand the suspension of Belo Sun’s mining license for its “Volta Grande” gold mine on the banks of the Xingu River.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Brazil Court Revives Belo Sun’s Controversial Amazon Gold Mine
“We are already suffering the impacts of the Belo Monte dam.. If another project of this scale comes, the Volta Grande will not withstand it.”
What Brazil’s New Legal Landscape Means for the Amazon and Its Peoples
Despite clear warnings from research institutions, Brazil is moving closer to licensing a mega-project based on incomplete and flawed environmental studies.
Amazonian Indigenous Peoples Void Belo Sun’s Consultation, Threatening Mega-mine’s Approval
Juruna and Arara peoples formally revoke consultations used by Canadian company to justify licensing of its Volta Grande gold mine in Brazil’s Xingu region
“Prior consultation is a binding requirement established by the Federal Regional Court and an indispensable condition for the environmental licensing process to move forward.“
Brazil’s Senate Rams Through Constitutional Amendment Imperiling Indigenous Lands and Communities
Mining companies stand to benefit as Indigenous organizations warn of impending human rights and environmental disaster
Brazil’s largest Indigenous organizations warn that the amendment dismantles the country’s constitutional framework for territorial protection.
“Mining Mafia” Scandal Threatens Brazil’s COP30 Credibility as Police Uncover Massive Fraud
On the eve of the COP30 climate summit, a corruption scandal in Brazil exposes how mining operates outside the law, putting communities and the climate at risk
"These false authorizations not only legalize the advance of destruction, but also put our water, our health, and our food security at risk."
Interview With Chief Raoni: “Congressmen Only Think About Destruction, Not About Future Generations”
Indigenous leader says he is skeptical about the practical effects of COP30 and laments that, under the Lula administration, projects such as Marco Temporal and the Destruction Bill are moving forward
O Globo | On the eve of COP30, Raoni is also skeptical about the environmental meeting to be held in Belém.
Amazon Watch Welcomes Historic Conviction of Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro for Coup Plot
"His arrest offers a welcome reprieve for the Amazon and its peoples by weakening the chance that his destructive agenda will return to the region,”
An Important People-Powered Win in Brazil, but the Fight Isn’t Over
A partial veto protects key environmental safeguards, but dangerous loopholes still put the Amazon at risk
With COP30 in Belém just months away, Brazil had a chance to send the world a bold message about its commitment to climate justice. Instead, it delivered a mixed one.
Brazil’s Partial Veto of “Devastation Bill” Stops Some Setbacks, but Critical Loopholes Remain
Amazon Watch warns that preserved provisions still threaten Indigenous land rights and environmental protections ahead of COP30
“This soy doesn’t feed our people. We don’t eat soy – it’s for export and corporate profit. Meanwhile, pesticides contaminate our water, our soil, and even the rain. It’s poisoning all of us, not just Indigenous peoples."
Lula, the World Is Watching: Veto the Devastation Bill Now!
International pressure grows in support of Brazil's civil society's call
“Our future will be condemned if President Lula doesn’t veto the Devastation Bill.”
You Can’t Kill a River
Why the Volta Grande still lives – and how the peoples of the Xingu continue to oppose mining company Belo Sun
In the Volta Grande do Xingu, the river still runs. Even with turbines and licenses strangling it, the Xingu endures because the peoples who protect it refuse to disappear.
Canadian Mining Company’s SLAPP Lawsuit Against Amazon Defenders Dismissed in Brazil
Court exposes Belo Sun’s attempt to silence critics of its gold mine project in the heart of the Amazon rainforest
"The court's decision to reject the legal complaint represents a victory for forest protection movements, reining in a company that appears to believe it is above the law."
Militant Mothers of the Movement: Meet Maria Leusa Munduruku
Maria Leusa Munduruku has emerged as a powerful defender of Munduruku territory in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon against a conflux of extractive megaprojects such as dams, mining, illegal logging, and the Ferrogrão mega-railway.
Stand with Defenders: Vote Today for Indigenous Rights and Thriving Rainforests
Amazon Watch is one of CREDO Mobile’s March grantees, which means that voters like you can help direct funds to sustain Indigenous-led solutions for the Amazon
The Amazon is at a tipping point, but our collective victories show us a powerful pathway forward.
Blood Gold in the Amazon: Belo Sun’s Mega-Mine Threatens People, Land, and Climate
An infusion of new financing and lax regulation has rekindled the company’s aggressive efforts to greenlight its disastrous open-pit gold mine
A recent cash infusion from Luxembourg-based investor La Mancha Resource Capital, combined with a shocking court ruling, has given the Canadian company new momentum to push forward with one of the most destructive mining projects the Amazon has ever faced.
Grounding in Our Collective Power: Victories for the Amazon from 2024
Through bold campaigns, strategic advocacy, and unwavering solidarity with our Indigenous and local community partners, we achieved groundbreaking victories in 2024.
Major Victory to Halt Mining in the Heart of the Brazilian Amazon
Brazilian judge annuls Belo Sun's land rights contract, delivering a major blow to the company's plans to build Brazil's largest open-pit gold mine
This recent federal court decision annulling Belo Sun and INCRA’s contract is a crucial step toward justice, underscoring the resilience of the communities of the Volta Grande do Xingu.
Brazilian Justice Voids Belo Sun Mining’s Concession
In a major victory for the communities of the Amazon’s Volta Grande do Xingu, a judge’s ruling annulled the Canadian mining company’s contract with Brazil’s Land Reform Institute
A Brazilian federal court issued a major setback to Belo Sun, declaring the contract that granted the company its land concession null and void.
Attacks on Indigenous Rights in Brazil Are Fueling Amazon Fires and Climate Change
A brazen new institutional assault on Indigenous rights by a Supreme Court Justice is underway, threatening to undo fundamental constitutional protections of Brazil’s Indigenous communities
As Brazil stands at a critical crossroads, the support and vigilance of the international community are essential to ensuring that Indigenous rights are upheld and the Amazon rainforest is preserved for future generations.
Can Mining Override Agrarian Reform and Food Sovereignty in the Amazon?
Brazil’s Institute of Agrarian and Colonization Reform refuses to repeal a Bolsonaro-era rule authorizing mining and other industrial projects on protected lands in the Amazon
We recommend that INCRA immediately suspend IN 112 and replace it with a policy that better regulates the historical uneven relationship between large private enterprises and small farmers in rural settlements.
Indigenous Rights Under Siege: Brazil’s New Battle for the Amazon and Cultural Survival
Despite a Supreme Court victory, new legislative and judicial attacks threaten the future of Indigenous lands and environmental protection
As Brazil stands at a crossroads, the international community's support and vigilance are crucial in ensuring that Indigenous rights are upheld and the Amazon rainforest is preserved for future generations.
Coming Together to Demand the Amazon as a No-Go Zone at FOSPA
Amazon Watch participation in the 11th Pan-Amazonian Social Forum strengthened a regional coalition for an Amazon free of mining
"Their money will run out, but our territory will remain here. We're not going to sell ourselves or our land to be destroyed."
Safeguarding the Right to Self-determination at UNPFII
At the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Amazon Watch amplified Indigenous voices of strong female leaders underscoring the urgency of safeguarding the right to self-determination on the path to COP30
Achieving Indigenous autonomies and territorial governance, where self-determination is exercised, requires dismantling the mandates imposed by colonial and extractivist states and transforming them based on indigenous worldviews of harmony and collectivity.
Unmasking the Environmental and Human Rights Threats of Canadian Corporations
Despite its promises, Canada rejects key recommendations on the framework of the Universal Periodic Review and remains a threat to human rights and the environment
Contrary to upholding Indigenous rights, Canada rejected crucial recommendations regarding the regulation of its companies operating in Latin America and the Caribbean.
