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    Statement on the National Strike by Ecuador's Indigenous Movement

    "This moment of crisis presents Ecuador with a unique opportunity to heed the call of its people, support indigenous-led solutions, begin a transition to a post-petroleum economy, and put into practice the visionary concepts guaranteed by their Constitution, including the rights of nature and 'buen vivir' (living well), as well as respecting...

    October 8, 2019
    3,989 views
    3 min read

    Amazon Fires Decreased in September, but Crisis Far From Over

    "We need a real commitment from Bolsonaro's government to protect Brazil's forests and their indigenous and traditional communities, who are the true guardians of the Amazon. Bolsonaro has promised 'zero tolerance' for explosive deforestation and subsequent widespread arson; however, his policies and rhetoric have actually encouraged such crimes."

    October 3, 2019
    2,346 views
    2 min read

    Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.

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    Indigenous Women Mobilize to Resist Bolsonaro in Major Brasilia Protests

    August 13th, more than 2,000 indigenous women leaders from across Brazil will stage a mobilization in the nation’s capital as part of the country’s first Indigenous Women's March. Entitled "Territory: our body, our spirit,” this historic gathering responds to escalating violations of indigenous rights under the Bolsonaro government, as native...

    August 12, 2019
    2,171 views
    3 min read

    Statement on Murderous Invasion of Brazilian Indigenous Territory

    On Saturday July 26, dozens of heavily armed wildcat gold miners invaded the remote Amazonian territory of the Waiãpi indigenous people in the Brazilian state of Amapá, driving out residents by threatening violence. This invasion followed the miners’ murder of local leader Emyra Waiãpi on Monday July 22nd, who was stabbed to death before his body...

    July 29, 2019
    2,120 views
    2 min read

    Summer 2019 Investor Eye on the Amazon

    A primer for shareholders concerned about rainforest protection and human rights

    The Investor Eye on the Amazon provides an update on our campaigns targeting corporations with ties to dirty industry in the Amazon, and it aims to serve as a resource for socially-responsible investors, industry analysts, and researchers looking to better understand the risks associated with investment in extractive industries - and their own...

    Summer 2019
    1,852 views
    1 min read

    An Earthquake Rocks GeoPark

    "As the Achuar People, along with the Wampis Nation, we completely reject the entry of GeoPark into our territory. You all are aware of human rights and environmental law, yet you still insist on polluting our lands. Understand that no matter how much you insist on entering our territory, we are never going to allow oil companies to come in."

    July 2, 2019
    1,071 views
    6 min read

    Amazon Leaders Tell GeoPark CEO James Park: Leave Our Territory

    Eight Achuar and Wampis leaders from the Peruvian Amazon confronted GeoPark executives at the oil company’s annual shareholder meeting

    Nelton Yankur Antich, president FENAP, which represents 45 communities located in both the Pastaza and Morona river basins, said, "We are here specifically to manifest our decision not to permit the entry of GeoPark into our territory."

    July 1, 2019
    1,176 views
    3 min read

    Statement on GeoPark's Withdrawal of Its Request for a Drilling Permit

    Late on Thursday, June 20th, the Chile-based oil company GeoPark withdrew its request for an environmental permit to begin oil drilling in a concession area known as Block 64, located in the northern Peruvian Amazon. The company's about-face came after a concerted campaign of protests from indigenous Achuar and Wampi communities opposed to oil...

    June 21, 2019
    4,330 views
    2 min read

    Amazonians Rising Up and Winning Against Oil!

    "The government tried to sell our lands to the oil companies without our permission. Our rainforest is our life. We decide what happens in our lands. We will never sell our rainforest to the oil companies."

    June 18, 2019
    4,628 views
    5 min read

    “My Message for GeoPark? Don’t Enter Achuar Territory.”

    An indigenous delegation from the Peruvian Amazon prepares to take the fight to GeoPark's doorstep

    "We don't want the oil company to enter our territory because they contaminate everything – the air we breathe, the forest from which we source our food. As our ancestors left our territory to us, we want to leave it for future generations."

    June 10, 2019
    6,298 views
    4 min read

    Statement Regarding Decision to Delay Licensing of Ecuadorian Oil Blocks 86 and 87

    "The decision to put a hold on auctioning blocks 86 and 87 shows that the advocacy made by Shiwiar, Sapara, and Kichwa indigenous peoples to protect their territories, that are part of the best preserved tropical forests in the country, has been successful. While we celebrate this victory, we know that the next step must not be further...

    May 10, 2019
    708 views
    3 min read

    New Report: European and North American Companies Support Soy, Cattle, and Timber Companies Responsible for Recent Surge in Amazon Deforestation

    A new report from Amazon Watch shows for the first time how firms that fuel the destruction of the Brazilian Amazon under Brazil's new president openly trade with and receive financing from a range of companies and major investors in Europe and North America. Although these producers of soy, cattle, and timber for export have documented links to...

    April 25, 2019
    4,759 views
    9 min read

    Danger Zone for Peru’s Achuar People

    The risk of new oil drilling in Achuar territory is more alarming than it has been since I started with Amazon Watch over twelve years ago. Fortunately, the Achuar are determined to protect their lands and families from contamination and they also benefit from the support of steadfast allies, both Peruvian and international.

    April 3, 2019
    4,030 views
    4 min read

    Twenty Years of Accomplishments

    Amazon Watch’s expertise and history as a principled ally to indigenous peoples uniquely positions the organization to help shape the global narrative on why and how we must defend the Amazon.

    March 25, 2019
    2,595 views
    1 min read

    Protecting Indigenous Lands Protects the Environment. Trump and Bolsonaro Threaten Both.

    Among the many parallels between their administrations, Bolsonaro and Trump are both taking extreme action to strip the hard-earned rights of indigenous peoples to the benefit of extractive industries and commercial farming. These policies present threats to our communities, the integrity of ecosystems on our lands and the stability of our climate.

    March 18, 2019
    5,023 views
    4 min read

    GeoPark Fomenting Social Conflicts in Peru’s Amazon

    Washington, DC – A detailed new report published by the non-governmental organization Center for Public Policy and Human Rights (Equidad Perú) identifies the oil company GeoPark as responsible for dangerous divide-and-conquer strategies in the Peruvian Amazon. The company is also facing related criticisms of downplaying environmental concerns in...

    March 6, 2019
    5,889 views
    3 min read

    Emboldened by Bolsonaro, Armed Invaders Encroach on Brazil’s Tribal Lands

    Ten days after Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro took office, dozens of men entered protected indigenous land in a remote corner of the Amazon, hacking a pathway beneath the jungle canopy. Inspired by Bolsonaro's vow to open more native territory to commercial development, the men, armed with machetes, chainsaws and firearms, had come...

    March 4, 2019
    2,689 views
    5 min read

    Defending Rights, Building Unity, and Protecting the Amazon Sacred Headwaters

    In the remote, roadless rainforest territories along the border between Ecuador and Peru, over a dozen indigenous nationalities have launched an initiative to permanently protect about 60 million acres from industrial extraction and stop the drivers of deforestation. Dubbed the Amazon Sacred Headwaters, the initiative seeks to present a united...

    February 12, 2019
    6,330 views
    6 min read

    Bolsonaro Wants to Plunder the Amazon. Don’t Let Him.

    Mr. Bolsonaro's rise to power will test companies' promises to be responsible. Will leading global agribusiness companies be complicit in Mr. Bolsonaro's assault on the Amazon and its people, thus sacrificing their commitments, their reputation and our climate? And will financial institutions like BlackRock heed their own calls for companies to...

    January 23, 2019
    668 views
    4 min read

    Statement on Bolsonaro’s Inauguration as Brazil’s President

    "The coming months will prove pivotal in demonstrating the ability of Brazilian social movements and their allies around the world to forestall President Bolsonaro's most destructive policy proposals. As such, Amazon Watch is redoubling its work in solidarity with our embattled partners to push back against an agenda that portends dire...

    December 28, 2018
    5,364 views
    1 min read

    Good News for Yasuní Park and Indigenous Rights!

    Last week, Ecuador's Energy Minister, Carlos Pérez García, announced that – at least for now – the government will not pursue oil drilling in the "buffer zone" protected areas of Yasuní National Park, reversing plans revealed last month in a leaked draft decree. This is an important victory for our collective work to keep fossil fuels...

    December 24, 2018
    3,583 views
    2 min read

    Investor Eye on the Amazon

    The Investor Eye on the Amazon provides an update on our campaigns targeting corporations with ties to dirty industry in the Amazon, and it aims to serve as a resource for socially-responsible investors, industry analysts, and researchers looking to better understand the risks associated with investment in extractive industries - and their own...

    December 20, 2018
    1,140 views
    8 min read

    Ecuador Walks Back Oil Drilling Plans in Amazon Rainforest

    "Minister Pérez' announcement sends a clear message: civil society pressure to defend rights and ecosystems works, and expanding the fossil fuel frontier deeper into Ecuador's Amazon presents risks to companies and problems for the state. This is an important victory for our collective work to keep fossil fuels in the ground from California to the...

    December 19, 2018
    4,782 views
    2 min read