Associated Press | “In light of this situation, it is essential that responses to organized crime and illicit economies do not translate into new processes of militarization, criminalization, or the subordination of Indigenous governance systems.”
Brazil
Indigenous Peoples Call on U.N. Action as Organized Crime Expands Across the Amazon
Indigenous leaders who gathered at the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues are demanding a decisive shift away from failed militarized responses toward rights-based approaches that center Indigenous territorial governance, autonomy, and community-led security systems in efforts to confront organized crime. They warn that current state responses are not only insufficient but, in many cases, actively deepen violence and insecurity in their territories.
Indigenous leaders who gathered at the U.N. Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues are demanding a decisive shift away from failed militarized responses toward rights-based approaches that center Indigenous territorial governance, autonomy, and community-led security systems in efforts to confront organized crime.
A New Gold Rush Threatens the Amazon
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.
Amazon Watch and Allied Organizations Release Landmark Report on Amazon Crime
In the context of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Amazon Watch, together with allied organizations, presents the first report to analyze how illicit economies and repressive government responses threaten the rights, territories, and physical and cultural survival of Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous Leaders Bring Amazon Crime Crisis to the UN
As militarized responses fail, Indigenous territorial governance proves vital
An urgent message is traveling from the Amazon to the United Nations. This week, Amazon Watch will accompany a delegation of Indigenous leaders from Peru and Ecuador to New York for the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII).
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Territorios Indígenas Bajo Amenaza
La doble presión del crimen organizado y la militarización en la Amazonía
Este informe llama a una estrategia regional centrada en la protección ambiental, el fortalecimiento institucional del Estado y la gobernanza comunitaria.
Amazon Under Siege
How Crime and Militarization Threaten Indigenous Peoples
This report calls for a regional strategy centered on environmental protection, state-building, and community governance.
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
In a Major March, Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples Demand Land Demarcation and the Cancellation of Ferrogrão
More than 7,000 Indigenous people marched through the streets of Brasília yesterday under the banner “Demarcate, Lula! A sovereign Brazil is one with demarcated and protected Indigenous lands.”
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.
The Trump Doctrine in Latin America: Carry a Big Stick and Speak of “Total Extermination”
The Administration designated a dozen Latin American criminal cartels as terrorist organizations and launched Operation Southern Spear in September.
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.
Bringing Down a Decree: Inside the Indigenous Victory on the Tapajós River
On January 30, I witnessed the inauguration of the Munduruku people’s Pariri Association headquarters at the Praia do Mangue Indigenous Reserve.
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.
‘The river won’: how campaigners in Brazilian Amazon stopped privatisation of waterway
The Guardian | "A victory for life.” That was the triumphal message from Indigenous campaigners in the Brazilian Amazon this week after they staved off a threat to the Tapajós River by occupying a grain terminal operated by Cargill, the biggest privately owned company in the United States.
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.”
Indigenous Resistance Forces Brazil To Revoke Amazon Waterway Decree
“This proves that life – the river – has no price. It cannot be sold, it is not negotiable. That’s why we will never back down.”
From Pandora to the Amazon, Indigenous Leadership Is Protecting Life on Earth
More than a decade after Avatar brought global attention to the destruction of Indigenous lands, Amazon Watch has released a new short video.
Indigenous Leaders Defending the Amazon Take Center Stage in New Amazon Watch Video
New short video narrated by Avatar star Oona Chaplin features director James Cameron, legendary Chief Raoni Metuktire, and Goldman Environmental Prize winner Alessandra Korap Munduruku
Indigenous Protesters Intercept Grain Barge, Escalating Demands to Repeal Decree Privatizing Amazonian Rivers
Today, 400 Indigenous peoples in four boats intercepted a grain barge on the Tapajós River in the city of Santarém (PA).
Indigenous Peoples Maintain Indefinite Blockade of Cargill on the Tapajós River
Today the Indigenous occupation at Cargill’s grain terminal in Santarém entered its 20th day, deepening the movement’s standoff with the Lula administration over plans to dredge the Tapajós and privatize Amazonian rivers.
Indigenous Peoples Block Access to Santarém Airport in Protest of Tapajós River Dredging
Indigenous Peoples from the Tapajós region blocked the main access road to Santarém International Airport today, escalating a mobilization ongoing since January 22.
Indigenous Brazilians Protest Amazon River Dredging for Grain Exports
AFP | Hundreds of Indigenous people have been protesting in northern Brazil for two weeks outside the port terminal of U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill, angered over the dredging and development of Amazonian rivers for grain exports.
Indigenous Protest Enters Second Week as Brazil Faces Pressure Over Amazon Waterway Decree
Munduruku leaders join growing Indigenous blockade against Amazon River dredging and privatization
On the 13th day blockading Cargill’s grain terminal in Santarém, Indigenous protestors are demanding in-person dialogue with Brazil's federal government, following its failure to send representatives to a meeting last week.
Amazonian Indigenous Blockade of Key Cargill Terminal Reaches One Week
For the past week, Indigenous peoples representing 14 ethnicities from the Lower and Middle Tapajós River region have blockaded facilities operated by agribusiness multinational Cargill in Santarém, protesting industrial interventions designed to accelerate agro-commodity exports.
Indigenous Protesters Block Cargill Facility in Brazil Over President Lula’s Decree
Associated Press | Hundreds of Indigenous people have been protesting for almost a week at a Cargill facility in Brazil against a decree allowing the federal government to consider private concessions for waterways.
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.
2026: A Year of Decision for the Amazon
The Amazon has reached an ecological tipping point. What happens in 2026 will help determine whether climate justice remains possible or becomes an empty slogan.
Indigenous Leadership and Collective Power in 2025
As climate denial gained renewed political traction and governments moved to restrict civic space, Indigenous peoples and grassroots movements across the Amazon advanced bold, collective visions for the future.
