Indigenous communities are uniquely qualified to speak on the intersections between mining and biodiversity: Indigenous lands make up around 20% of the Earth’s territory, containing 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity, requiring Indigenous peoples to be at the forefront of all decision-making regarding any global climate commitments.
“The Indigenous people of Amazonia have lived in balance with the rainforest for centuries. Our collective future requires that we listen to the Indigenous voices on the front lines. Amazonian governments and world leaders must protect 80% of the Amazon by 2025”
“Belo Sun’s suspended environmental license, repeated violations of Indigenous rights, and severe threats to biodiversity and ecosystem health in the Amazon paint a clear picture: the market clearly shows that any company or financial institution foolish enough to invest in or acquire Belo Sun would risk its entire investment.”
Financial Post | “We are putting any institution or company looking to invest in or acquire Belo Sun on notice: this is a bad actor selling a dangerous project. Anyone looking to get involved with it will be shouldering serious risk and will be complicit in the continued threats to the Amazon rainforest, Indigenous and traditional peoples, and the global climate.”
"As Indigenous Peoples at CBD COP 15, we demand Indigenous-led solutions to the climate crisis and for our rights to be respected. Our peoples are the keepers of Biodiversity around the world. It is through our solutions that we will see the world through the climate crisis."
Montreal, Canada - Investors may be exposed to severe risks by maintaining their investments in the Canadian mining company Belo Sun, a new report published today by Amazon Watch shows.
Belo Sun's executives have repeatedly and publicly downplayed the social, environmental, and legal risks of the Volta Grande Project, thereby heightening risks for current and potential investors.
The Siona of Buenavista are a beacon of resistance against incursions of oil companies like GeoPark into their territories. Solidarity from Colombian and international allies can be crucial to their success.
After two weeks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt for the Climate COP27 (The United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change), I’m reflecting on our purpose in attending and the outcomes.
The activist-led Amazon Defenders Fund (ADF) forges a bond of solidarity between Amazon Watch and our Amazonian partners and allies, and contributes to the woven tapestry of direct actions in their territories.
When you make a U.S. tax-deductible donation to Amazon Watch, you can count on your gift being put to work effectively and immediately to uplift Indigenous visions and solutions for the Amazon.
“The LEAF Coalition is already failing forests and Indigenous peoples, and this attempt to export its unaccountable, unjust model to the power sector is yet another iteration of the same old story: climate finance that should be delivered no-strings-attached to Indigenous communities and Global South nations is being made contingent on handing out...
“Credible net zero plans require drastic emissions reductions, direct support for ecosystem protection, and robust respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities,” said Moira Birss, Climate Finance Director at Amazon Watch.
As the UNFCCC prepares to host COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt for COP27, Indigenous peoples from across the Amazon Basin and NGO allies are prepared to amplify calls for a global agreement to protect the Amazon and climate by respecting Indigenous rights and territories under threat.
"This is a victory of love, of hope, of truth, of freedom, and of our fragile democracy that is now being strengthened," said Sonia Guajajara, Congresswoman-elect.
In the most important election for the planet, which defined the future of the Amazon and therefore of all humanity, almost 51% of Brazilians chose democracy and elected Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, putting an end to the nightmare lived for the last four years under Bolsonaro.
Mongabay | In the case Tagaeri & Taromenane Indigenous people vs the Ecuadorian state, lawyers representing the communities in voluntary isolation say the Ecuadorian state has failed to protect these populations and propelled the extractive industry in the area, putting pressure on the rainforest and increasing conflict between local communities.
Defenders of Yasuní National Park in the Ecuadorian Amazon, one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet, have two new reasons to hope that oil drilling in the region could be imminently curtailed.
While Brazil's presidential contest forced a runoff vote scheduled for the end of October, the election saw the historic victory of members of Brazil’s Indigenous "headdress" caucus in São Paulo and the state of Minas Gerais, in a momentous advance for Indigenous representation in the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil.
After years of virtual events, Climate Week 2022 coincided with the gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, bringing thousands to New York City to hold leaders accountable for the escalating climate crisis and making the presence of Indigenous peoples more important than ever.
“The Indigenous peoples of the Amazon are the true guardians of the forest, and our rights must be respected,” said Toya Manchineri of COIAB.
Gold is used in electrical connections and circuit boards for a multitude of electronic products, including cell phones, laptop and desktop computers, the servers of tech giants, and in electric cars. Research has shown that upwards of 47% of Brazil’s gold exports could be of illegal origin.
This risk assessment describes the political, social, financial, environmental, and legal risks associated with investing in Petroperú. It also compiles the perspective of some communities that could be affected by the threat of oil operations by Petroperú, in particular, the Achuar People of the Pastaza River and the Autonomous Territorial...
Everyone at Amazon Watch is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Alejandra Yépez. We express our deepest condolences to her family and all who knew her and worked with her.
Indigenous leaders from the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon invite you to a press conference during Climate Week NYC 2022. In the context of Climate Week’s theme, Getting It Done, the delegates will discuss ways they are "getting done" protection of the Amazon rainforest.
Ecuador’s Indigenous movement and the government of Guillermo Lasso have agreed to a temporary moratorium on all new oil and mining concessions. This major development puts the country’s plans to double oil production and significantly boost mining investment in question.
The Achuar and Wampis have good reason to oppose further oil extraction: The Northern Peruvian Oil Pipeline, which runs through their territories, has repeatedly ruptured, causing countless spills and constant threats to the environment and safety of their communities.
Brasília, Brazil - In a weekend of violence against Indigenous peoples in Brazil, three Indigenous people were killed, two in the state of Maranhão and one in the state of Bahia, and two Indigenous adolescents were shot and seriously injured.
The forum strongly condemned the so-called development paradigm, in which governments and large corporations are complicit in destruction with projects that privatize profits and socialize losses over Amazonian peoples and territories.
