Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld a law reducing the size of the Jamanxim National Park, allowing the Ferrogrão railway project to move closer to environmental licensing.
FPIC
Brazilian Court Mounts Pressure on Canadian Mining Companies Operating in the Amazon
Court of Appeals rulings reinforce Indigenous claims concerning lack of consultations while prohibiting government agencies from representing Canadian interests in legal proceedings
“Waking up to this news brought us extreme happiness. Every victory, small or large, strengthens our work even more."
Hope and Action To Phase Out Fossil Fuels
Traveling back to Bogotá from the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, I struggled to name a feeling I had never experienced after a climate conference: hope!
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.
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.
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.
This Month Governments Meet to Plan a Fossil Fuel Phaseout. The Amazon Must Be Heard
Indigenous peoples have demanded for decades that governments come together and commit to getting off fossil fuels. The First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, taking place later this month in Santa Marta, Colombia, is a manifestation of that demand.
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 the 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 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 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.
Small Steps Made, Big Leaps Needed: JPMorgan Chase Reveals Policy Shifts
World’s largest fossil financier responds following Indigenous-led bank advocacy against fossil fuel expansion in the Peruvian Amazon
The changes fall far short of what is needed to prevent violations of Indigenous peoples' rights and to halt large scale destruction of critical ecosystems like the Amazon biome.
Ferrogrão Reignites Conflict Between the Government and Indigenous Peoples at COP30
AFP | “We are not going to allow it, because this is our home, our river, our forest.”
Indigenous Caravan Departs from Sinop to Belém To Protest Against Ferrogrão
Folha de S.Paulo | “We will not allow the interests of large corporations, such as Cargill and Bunge, to destroy our rivers and forests."
Ferrogrão Is a Shortcut to Collapse
The railway is being sold as a logistical solution, but in practice it means more deforestation, land invasions, and poison
O Globo | Ferrogrão is the backbone of a corridor that transforms the Amazon into a commodity export route and condemns Brazil to a subservient role.
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.
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."
Peru and Ecuador’s Crude Gamble Faces Indigenous Wall of Resistance
Indigenous nations reject Boluarte’s announcement on binational oil pipeline between Petroperú and Petroecuador
“Without our consent, this project has no legitimacy. Investors must be warned: any deal built on rights violations is built on quicksand.”
The Achuar Reject Petroperú’s Oil Expansion – Yet Again
Amid mounting debt and political pressure, Petroperú scrambles to revive Block 64, but Indigenous nations expose sham consultations and defend their territories from fossil fuel expansion
“These informal meetings and all publicity surrounding them have no validity as a mechanism for Indigenous peoples' participation. The truth cannot be hidden."
Soy Dictates the Path: How Ferrogrão is Reshaping Life in the Amazon
Folha de S.Paulo | "Soy farming will increase a lot. When it rains, the pesticides flow into the river. We have no wells to rely on. There’s nowhere to run, and all our children get sick."
Mura People Rise Against Mining Invasion in Brazil
A powerful new alliance emerges to confront extractivism on Indigenous lands
“What happened at this large meeting was not just a gathering of the Mura most directly affected by the Brazil Potash project. Rather, the significance of this event lies in the fact that this struggle has become, first and foremost, the struggle of all Indigenous peoples.”
