As critical climate negotiations take place this week in New York, Amazon Watch joined a coalition of 52 NGOs working in Latin America to insist that large dams should not be considered a clean energy source, nor an energy solution to climate change.
All Campaign Updates
Open Letter to Petroamazonas from Yasunidos
Report on the Cuyabeno oil spill
Alarmed and distressed by the information that diverse organizations and Amazonian populations shared with Yasunidos regarding the magnitude of the oil spill on July 3rd in the province of Sucumbíos, a commission traveled the length of Aguarico River, verified the extent of the spill's path, and received first-hand testimonies from affected...
Update: Current Situation of the U'wa Process
The U'wa people are advancing in our process of strengthening resistance in defense of culture, the Earth, the environment, rivers, mountains, air, and all of humanity.
Shareholders Keep Pressure on Chevron
Resolutions to highlight corporate governance failure and mismanagement of $19 billion Ecuador liability
A group of institutional investors and asset management firms plan to re-file three separate resolutions at Chevron. All three resolutions came to a vote at the 2012 Chevron annual shareholder meeting, winning significantly high support.
Historic Day of Celebration in Sarayaku about the IACHR Sentence
We, as the legitimate authorities and governors of our territories, reaffirm the full exercise of our constitutional collective rights that guarantee the continuity of our identity and the territorial life spaces of the Selva Viviente (Living Jungle).
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Sarayaku to Their Allies: "Thank You"
Amazon Watch has been proud to accompany the Kichwa indigenous people of Sarayaku. In the wake of the historic sentence coming forth from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, our colleagues in Sarayaku issued the following expression of appreciation for all the solidarity they have felt over the years.
Update for Chevron Investors and Shareholders
Four separate resolutions have been filed related to Chevron's corporate governance issues and management of legal liabilities in Ecuador. In addition, an investor's letter to the company has a deadline of May 14th.
Amazon Watch's 2012 Priorities
Learn more about the biggest issues facing the Amazon rainforest and its indigenous peoples in 2012 and how Amazon Watch is focusing on them.
Call for Co-Filers for Chevron Shareholder Resolutions
Resolutions at Chevron on Corporate Governance and $18 Billion Ecuador Liability
A group of institutional investors are filing three separate resolutions at Chevron over its corporate governance and management of its legal liabilities in Ecuador.
Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples of the World at COP 17
Durban, South Africa – We, the Indigenous Peoples of the world, united in the face of the climate crisis and the lack of political will of the States, especially the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, demand the immediate adoption of legally binding agreements with shared but differentiated responsibilities, to halt global warming and to...
Appeal to Bolivian President Evo Morales: Protect the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples of TIPNIS
Tensions are rising in Bolivia, between indigenous President Evo Morales and indigenous communities of the the Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory, known as TIPNIS for its Spanish acronym. The Government has proposed to build a road straight through the Territory, with financing from the Brazil National Development Bank.
Statement on the 09/19 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals Decision in Chevron-Ecuador Case
Yesterday's order from the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals brings the oil-ravaged indigenous and rural communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon one step closer to justice after nearly two decades of fighting to hold American oil giant Chevron accountable for the devastation it caused in their rainforest lands.
International Day of Action to Defend the Amazon
To all the global defenders of the Amazon who organized demonstrations and protested at Brazilian embassies and consulates around the planet: We made history on August 22nd!
International Day of Action to Defend the Amazon Do-It-Yourself Toolkit
Do-It-Yourself Action Toolkit
The time has come for the international community to join its voice with millions of Brazilians who say no to their government's assault on the Amazon and its peoples! This toolkit is meant to provide you with a variety of sample materials to help guide the protest you are planning in your town or city.
Peru Update on Consultation and Criminalization
Amazon Watch | June was an eventful month in Peru with good and bad news for indigenous rights in the Amazon.
Bay Area Events This Week Demanding Justice from Chevron
San Francisco, CA – On May 25, dozens of local, national, and international community leaders and advocates from and for communities harmed by Chevron's operations from Angola, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nigeria, Alaska, Texas, and more will attend the company's annual shareholder meeting in San Ramon, California while supporters rally outside to...
An Open Letter to the United States from the Ecuadorian Amazon
An open letter written to the people of the United States from the 30,000 Ecuadorian plaintiffs in the Aguinda v. ChevronTexaco trial.
Organizations Worldwide Call on Brazil to Respect IACHR Resolution
Over 75 organizations sent this open letter to President Rousseff to express their deep concerns regarding the implementation of the precautionary measures requested by the IACHR to safeguard the rights of indigenous peoples - including groups living in voluntary isolation - threatened by the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Dam...
Talisman Energy at a Crossroads
Policy vs. Practice in the Amazon
Amazon Watch | Canadian oil company Talisman Energy has generated significant buzz in the Corporate Social Responsibility community with the recent release of their Global Community Relations Policy which incorporates the "broad principles" of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). However, Talisman continues to face protest and opposition to their operations...
A Lose-Lose Proposition: Ivanhoe Energy in Ecuador's Block 20
Ivanhoe Energy In Ecuador's Block 20
Amazon Watch | Canada's Ivanhoe Energy is in the exploration phase of a new heavy oil drilling project in Ecuador, a country that has seen some of the ugliest consequences of extractive industry and, as a reaction to that, some of the most tenacious grassroots resistance to it anywhere in the world.
Entrevista con Pepe Luis Acacho desde el Penal
CONAIE | Quito, Ecuador – Pepe Luis Acacho hablo con el equipo de Comunicación Social de la CONAIE, desde el Penal García Moreno de Quito el 5 de febrero del 2011. Sin cámaras, filmadoras ni grabadoras por que no permitieron.
Oil Rush in the Peruvian Amazon
Peru Auctions Off Amazon Despite Potential Human Rights Violations, Social Unrest and Environmental Devastation
Amazon Watch | Over the last decade, the Peruvian government has pursued an aggressive hydrocarbon development plan and concessioned off nearly 70% of the Peruvian Amazon to international oil companies without consulting with affected indigenous peoples. This strategy presents serious threats to the environment and indigenous rights and has already resulted in...
REDD Flags: Potential Problems with Investing in Forest Offsets
Why Investing in Forest Offsets Might Cause More Problems Than It Solves
Amazon Watch | Reducing the rates of rainforest deforestation is a goal universally shared by environmental groups like Amazon Watch. The devil, as always, is in the details, many of which have yet to be agreed upon or are being finalized without meaningful involvement of impacted stakeholders.
A Year and a Half after Bagua: The Strategy of "The Leopard"
Servindi | Bagua shocked the nation because of its tragic and needless death toll that resulted from the disproportionate and poor handling of a military operation, for which no one has assumed responsibility, and because it showed that the government of Alan García had attempted to surreptitiously bring down the constitutional regime pertaining to the...
Joint Letter of Concern for the Safety of Tony James
The following 38 organizations from around the world are writing to express our concern for the security and well-being of Mr. Tony James, President of the Amerindian Peoples Association. According to the Executive Board of APA, in a statement issued on December 10th, there have been multiple incidents over recent months in which unknown people...
Declaration about the Consultation Process in Peru around the Forestry Law
We, the undersigned organizations, wish to express our grave concern regarding Peru's process of "consultation" regarding its Forestry and Wildlife Law. Although the current process represents an advance in comparison to previous processes, it lacks legitimacy as well as the support of the country's representative indigenous organizations.
Ecuador President Freed as "Attempted Coup" Quashed
Unrest in Ecuador: Police Strike Pushes Ecuador to Verge of CoupPresident Being Held in Quito Hospital by Rebel Police Officials
As darkness falls on Ecuador's capital city of Quito, the only police presence in the streets is that of a group of insubordinate officers who staged a national police strike today that shattered a recent relative political calm in this Andean nation.
Violent Clashes in Bagua, Peru: One Year Later
A year has passed since a police operation to end 55 days of peaceful indigenous protests in the Amazon basin resulted in a violent clash between military police and the peaceful protesters in Bagua last June 5, 2009. It was the worst violence Peru has seen in recent history, leaving 34 people dead and almost two hundred injured. As Amazon Watch’s...
Reforming the Inter-American Development Bank
We have learned much from our work around the IDB and other banks and know that there is great potential to influence critical actors through North-South collaborations.
