“Today’s decision affirms what we’ve been saying all along. We have not been consulted. We have not provided our consent. Our land is not for sale. We will defend our territory, our forests, our rivers, and our culture."
Indigenous Rights
Indigenous and Community Coalition Challenges Petroperú’s Financial Backing
Citi and JPMorgan Chase urged to protect Indigenous rights and Amazonian ecosystems
A burgeoning coalition of Peruvian Amazonian Indigenous peoples and fishing organizations are demanding to meet JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup to warn against any new financing for state-operated oil company Petroperú because of its history of oil contamination and flagrant disregard of Indigenous and human rights.
Activists Crash Canadian Mining Conference to Denounce Amazon Destruction
Amazon Watch needed to show up at PDAC because another narrative is needed - one that doesn’t accept the destruction of the world’s largest forest as a necessary byproduct of advancing modern society.
Ecuador’s Indigenous Organizations Unanimously Reject Canadian Mining
"We know the government is in Canada trying to sign agreements with mining companies, but there has been no consultation for the Warintza project. The project violates the Ecuadorian constitution and our rights. Let it be known that we have not given our consent."
Amazonian Indigenous People Stage Major Mobilization Aimed at Stopping the Ferrogrão Railway
Indigenous-led “People's Tribunal” issues searing verdict on the megaproject and works to influence a key legal ruling that could determine its future
“The Popular Tribunal against Ferrogrão revealed the strength and determination of Indigenous peoples, traditional communities and social movements in defending their rights and the future of the planet.”
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Ecuador’s President Ignores Indigenous Opposition to Mining at PDAC
Official leader of Shuar-Artuam People of Ecuador rejects statements alleging community support for Solaris Warintza mining project
"The rosy picture painted today by the government and mining sector is misleading to investors. The reality is that the mining industry is reeling from local resistance to its projects and adverse decisions from its highest court."
Ecuadorian Indigenous Nation Asks British Columbia Securities Commission to Investigate Solaris
Indigenous organizations unite against controversial Amazon copper mining project
"The Shuar Arutam people have rejected the Warintza project for many years. Despite this, the company insists on promoting the project by dividing the communities and trying to reach agreements with other Indigenous organizations."
Following the Money Behind Amazon Oil Development
Santander and HSBC worked on Petroperú bond issuance despite its record of Amazon oil spills
Financial Times | Local opposition has hampered Petroperú’s plans to start producing crude from two large blocks in the Amazon. For many banks, support for Amazon oil development must look like much more trouble than it is worth.
Over 100 International Organizations Denounce Belo Sun’s Efforts to Criminalize Brazilian Land Defenders
Canadian mining company Belo Sun is attempting to build the largest open-pit gold mine in Brazil, and now it has filed a criminal lawsuit against local community members and activists who are speaking out about the environmental and human rights impacts of the project
“We must halt all mining ventures in the Amazon, as they pose grave and irreversible threats to global climate stability and the future of humanity.”
Belo Sun Mining Seeks to Criminalize Amazon Defenders
The Canadian gold mining company’s criminal lawsuit attempts to silence and intimidate defenders of the Volta Grande do Xingú, including community leaders, Amazon Watch, and other environmental and human rights activists
In a blatant effort to intimidate and silence its critics, Belo Sun Mining has filed a criminal lawsuit targeting more than 30 people – most of them small-scale farmers – as well as community leaders, environmental defenders, researchers, and representatives of Brazilian and international organizations.
Despite Victory in a Historic Referendum, Yasuní National Park Is Again at Risk
Ecuador's president announces plans to ignore the popular vote and continue drilling for oil in one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, home to Indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation
The government seeks to upend the will of voters and continue drilling in Yasuní under the pretense of funding the country’s escalating conflict with organized crime.
Petroperú Is Desperate for Cash, But We’re Going to End Amazon Crude!
The company is now in talks with Citi and JPMorgan Chase, and Indigenous nations tell them again: no new financing for Petroperú!
Joining forces with our partners, Amazon Watch is gearing up to launch a series of campaign actions in 2024. Our mission: to ensure financiers, including commercial banks, investors, and insurers, fully grasp the perils of financially supporting Petroperú.
Internal Conflict in Ecuador Brings Significant Risks for Indigenous Peoples
Ecuador has captured international attention with the recent declaration of an “internal armed conflict" in response to elevated violence. This declaration entails significant risks for human rights and Indigenous territories.
Indigenous Rights Battle Resumes in Brazilian Supreme Court
The continuing struggle against “Marco Temporal” and escalating anti-Indigenous politics
The Supreme Court’s rejection of the Marco Temporal thesis was arguably the most significant victory of the Indigenous movement in the 21st century. It marked the culmination of years of grassroots organizing, legal struggles, and mobilization.
Historic Legal Victory Achieved by the Kichwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku
The Kichwa People of Sarayaku celebrate this recent triumph in support of their Kawsak Sacha (living and conscious being) territory, which has been marred by oil activities and requires restoration.
Belo Sun Mining Company Legally Harasses Volta Grande do Xingu Community Leaders, Environmental and Human Rights Defenders
"Belo Sun is expelling us from our ancestral territory. It robs us of our souls by distancing us from our traditional practices and culture. And now it's trying to criminalize us as invaders of our own land."
Solidarity, Advocacy, and Resistance in the Amazon and Beyond
This solidarity grantmaking is built upon a multi-decade track record as a trusted partner among Indigenous nations and local organizations and guided by the principles and cosmology of Indigenous peoples.
Investors Must Respect Indigenous Rights to Protect the Amazon
Respecting Indigenous Rights: An Actionable Toolkit for Institutional Investors provides investors with a starting point to educate themselves and others about Indigenous rights, as well as practical tools to develop policies, case studies, and data sources to identify and address Indigenous rights abuses.
Achievements in 2023 Could Signify the Turning Point for the Amazon in 2024
As 2023 closes, it’s time to look back over the many inspiring achievements of the year. Hope and progress for the future of the Amazon and climate have been restored.
Peruvian Congress Just Legalized Deforestation
"Most experts in Peru agree that the interest behind modifying the Forestry Law is to adapt to the new import restrictions of products that deforest the Amazon in the European and U.S. markets in an underhanded way. The authorities of these countries must make a firm statement that they will not ‘fall for’ the game. Millions of hectares of forest...
2024 Could Be the Endgame for Indigenous Land Rights in Brazil
"I will not feel defeated. Defeated are those who are sitting on their hands. We will continue to fight for the demarcation of Indigenous lands. Because those who have territory have a place to go back to, and those who have a place to go back to, have a mother, a lap, and a cure."
An Emergency Action Plan to End the Killings in the Peruvian Amazon
In collaboration with AISESEP and its most affected federations and other allies, we have issued a call to implement and support nine emergency measures aimed at preventing further murders and combating impunity.
Amazonian Indigenous Peoples Mobilize Against Railway Mega-project That Threatens Rights and the Rainforest
Munduruku, Kayapó, and Apiaká protest disrupted a hearing promoting the proposed Ferrogrão project, favored by Brazilian and international agribusiness
“This event attempts to legitimize a project that places the Amazon’s peoples and the forest itself at risk,” said Goldman Prize winner Alessandra Korap Munduruku.
Mining Company Belo Sun Sues Environmental Defenders in Intimidation Tactic, NGOs Say
Mongabay | “This is an attempt to silence families and leaders who are on the frontline of the struggle for agrarian reform, and to intimidate national and international networks that monitor and denounce the destruction caused by large enterprises and companies in Volta Grande do Xingu.”
Autonomous Indigenous Nations Fight to Stop the Flow of Money to Petroperú
As Petroperú ramps up efforts to exploit oil in Block 64, Indigenous nations, in partnership with Amazon Watch and the Sacred Headwaters Initiative, launch a public campaign to pressure commercial banks to commit to no new Petroperú financing
Their efforts effectively put the multimillion dollar deal at a stalemate, and prevented Petroperú from attaining new long-term financing for the Talara Refinery in the past six months.
Amazon Emergency: Nine Urgent Measures to Ensure Justice and Effective Protection for Defenders in Peru
Apu Quinto Inuma Alvarado is yet another victim of the violence unleashed in the Peruvian Amazon
The murder of Apu Quinto cannot remain "just another case" that generates indignation and is then forgotten. On the contrary, it is time to assume and declare that the Amazon is in emergency, in order to make the protection of defenders a national and international priority.
“The Amazon Emergency Is a Climate Emergency”
Indigenous leaders at COP 28 call for urgent action to respect Indigenous land rights to protect the Amazon and climate on the path to COP 30 in Brazil
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – As over 70,000 people convene in Dubai for the 28th UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP 28), the Amazon rainforest is on fire and in a severe drought due to deforestation, extractive industries, industrial agriculture, climate change, and other threats.
Indigenous Organization Opposes Sale of Controversial Warintza Mining Project on Their Territory in the Ecuadorian Amazon
“We oppose any entity providing additional investment for this project in our territory or any attempt to sell the project to another company using and promoting the name of the Shuar people.”
New Policy Paper Provides Roadmap to Tackle Organized Crime in the Amazon
Lima, Peru – A new policy paper by Amazon Underworld, Amazon Watch, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, and InfoAmazonia details a roadmap for governments across the region to tackle the ruthless expansion of crime organizations and illicit markets in the most biodiverse region of the world.