The Amazon is at a tipping point, but our collective victories show us a powerful pathway forward.
Ecuador
Illegal Mining in the Amazon: “Criminal Governance Is Expanding and Becoming Increasingly Violent”
Mongabay | Raphael Hoetmer, director of Amazon Watch's Western Amazon Program, spoke with Mongabay Latam about the advance of mining in the Amazonian territory of Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
Silencing Standing Rock: How 14 States Are Protecting Big Oil
Rather than addressing the real dangers posed by DAPL and ET’s track record of environmental violations, these states have chosen to weaponize the courts against the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
Ecuador: A Decisive Election for the Amazon
Amid rampant violence and the failure to implement the Yasuní referendum, Indigenous and frontline organizing will only intensify.
Prominent Attorneys Monitor SLAPP Suit Against Greenpeace
Group aims to bring transparency to North Dakota court in one of the most significant environmental and free speech cases in U.S. history
This lawsuit is more than just a legal battle – it is a pivotal test of free speech and corporate accountability.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Amazon Watch Condemns Trump Administration’s Reckless Attack on USAID
The freeze on U.S. foreign assistance, implemented by the Trump administration, is already causing severe harm to vulnerable communities in the Amazon.
Bracing Ourselves for the Fight Ahead: Trump’s Potential Impact on the Amazon
The road ahead will be extremely difficult on multiple fronts, yet Amazonian Indigenous peoples will be undeterred in their indefatigable effort to protect their ancestral territories and livelihoods.
The Climate Crises in Los Angeles and the Amazon Rainforest Are Inextricably Linked
The Sacramento Bee | To address the root cause of these interconnected crises, we must unite our calls to keep oil in the ground, from California to the Amazon.
Amazon’s Advocates Fear Trump’s Return Means Little U.S. Help to Protect Rainforest
Associated Press | “Trump 2.0 will offer Amazonian governments a permission structure to ignore or walk back climate commitments, precisely at the moment when protection of the rainforest demands greater ambition and regional coordination.”
We Will Not Back Down: Affirming Our Commitment to Global Climate Justice
Now is the time to channel our collective energy toward the people-powered struggles advancing climate justice worldwide.
Yasuní: A Global Climate Victory at Risk
The people of Ecuador overwhelmingly voted to keep one of its largest oil reserves in the ground. It was a vote for hope, for the future, and for the protection of biodiversity and Indigenous rights.
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.
President Biden: Stand Up to Chevron and Pardon Steven Donziger
Chevron spent billions trying to destroy him after he won the largest pollution case in history. It’s time for Biden to end this nightmare
The Guardian | Donziger’s story is nothing new. We all know that billion-dollar corporations wield their influence to silence critics. But what is so jarring about this case is the lengths to which Chevron has gone to manipulate the courts, corrupt the rule of law, and evade accountability.
Munduruku People Rejoice in Celebration of Landmark Win for the Brazilian Amazon
Munduruku ancestral territory Sawré Muybu advanced to the final stage of demarcation, a crucial step in a decades-long struggle.
Indigenous Guardians of Global Biodiversity and Climate at COP16
“Right now the Amazonian peoples are fighting back against organized crime and protecting our common future."
2023-2024 Annual Report
For 28 years, Amazon Watch has worked tirelessly to defend the Amazon rainforest in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. Reflecting on the past year, I am deeply moved by the courage of our Indigenous partners, and I am profoundly honored by the trust they continue to place in us.
Indigenous Leadership at Climate Week: Amplifying Voices for Global Action
At New York's Climate Week, Indigenous leaders from across the Amazon demanded urgent solutions to the climate crisis, highlighting the destruction of the rainforest and calling for an end to fossil fuel extraction
The global shift in climate policy that we need will only happen if leaders listen to the voices of Indigenous and frontline communities, and if we collectively push for action.
In Ecuador, Booming Profits in Small-scale Gold Mining Reveal a Tainted Industry
Mongabay | Lax regulation, corruption, and organized crime have enabled multimillion-dollar proceeds from drug trafficking to be laundered through illegally mined gold.
Immediate Global Action Needed to Contain Amazon Fires Emergency
Amazon Fire Response Fund established for immediate relief
Amazon Watch stands with affected Indigenous peoples and traditional communities in calling on the governments of Amazon nations and the international community to take immediate action to address this crisis.
Amazon Fire Response Fund: Indigenous-Led Solutions for a Burning Rainforest
The newly-launched Amazon Fire Response fund will respond directly to the crisis across the Amazon by supporting critical short- and long-term solutions.
Human Rights Crisis in Ecuador
The role of the United States and multilateral organizations in security strategies and combating organized crime
A delegation from Ecuador presented the results of a mission aimed at providing firsthand information on the serious setbacks in human rights and the impacts of illegal economies on Indigenous and peasant communities.
Gold, Gangs, and Governance
How Illegal Mining and Organized Crime Threaten Ecuador's Amazon and Its Indigenous Peoples
This report exposes how criminal economies not only pose a threat to Indigenous peoples but also severely compromise the ecological integrity of the Amazon.
¡Sí a la Vida! Yes to Yasuní!
The Waorani hold a historic summit to ensure oil stays in the ground as Ecuador misses deadline to decommission drilling in Yasuni
Ecuador’s citizens made history by voting to keep fossil fuels in the ground in Yasuní. But the government’s failure to implement the referendum sets a dangerous precedent.
Ecuador Starts Dismantling Yasuní National Park Oil Block Two Days Before Court Deadline
Associated Press | “The government is not meeting their judicial obligation to the court, they’re not fulfilling the mandate of the Ecuadorian people, and they’re not respecting the rights of the Waorani.”
Rainforest Reckoning: Almost a Year After Historic Yasuní Vote, Ecuador Has Done Little
The country's Indigenous peoples and environmental movement are mobilizing to hold the government to account
The 2023 vote was heralded as the first time that any county chose to leave significant oil reserves in the ground by popular referendum, with over 60% voting in favor.
Solaris Stock Price Plummets As Indigenous Resistance Mounts
Solaris Resources hit its lowest stock price this week as Indigenous organizations once again initiated multiple actions to reject its flagship copper-gold Warintza project in Ecuador.
2022-2023 Annual Report
For 26 years, Amazon Watch has worked in solidarity with Indigenous peoples to advance their territorial land rights in the Amazon Basin, defending this extraordinary biome from a range of threats.
Investor Eye on the Amazon
Updates for shareholders and activists concerned about rainforest protection and human rights
The companies and banks behind Amazon destruction are feeling the heat as this year’s season of shareholder meetings comes to a close.
50 NGOs Urge President Biden to Pardon Human Rights Lawyer Steven Donziger
Groups urge Biden to follow recommendation by the U.N. to launch an investigation into the reasons that triggered Mr. Donziger’s arbitrary detention
“A pardon for Mr. Donziger will send a clear message that corporations in the U.S. cannot misuse the judicial system to criminalize human rights defenders."
