"Ferrogrão is the train of death, of deforestation. The railroad is not going to carry people, as they claim, but grain production of international companies that are financing this project."
All Press Releases
For press inquiries or interview requests, please contact presslist@amazonwatch.org or +1.510.281.9020.
Investors Slam JPMorgan Chase for Canceling Meeting with Amazon Indigenous Leaders
The filers of a shareholder resolution at JPMorgan Chase on Indigenous rights have criticized the bank for canceling a scheduled meeting with Indigenous leaders from Peru’s Amazon region.
New Report Exposes Risks of Investing in Petroperú Amid Controversial Oil Expansion in Amazon Basin
Amazonian Indigenous and coastal leaders travel to New York to call on leading U.S. commercial banks to halt new financing for Petroperú
Today, Amazon Watch released a new report exposing the elevated risks of financially supporting state-run oil company Petroperú) amid its controversial plans to expedite new oil drilling in the Amazon.
Brazil’s Lula Administration Faltering in Promises to Uphold Indigenous Land Rights
“This is revolting for us Indigenous peoples to have had so much faith in the government’s commitments to our rights and the demarcation of our territories."
Award-winning Film “We Are Guardians” Brings the Fight of Indigenous Peoples for the Amazon Rainforest to the Bay Area
Weaving together politics, history, economics, and science, “We Are Guardians” provides an in-depth exploration of the incredibly complex and critical situation, and it is a story of hope and resilience amidst an unfolding crisis.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
Latest Blow for Solaris Resources: ILO Finds Shuar Arutam People Were Not Consulted on Warintza and Panantza Mining Projects
“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 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.
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.”
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."
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.”
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."
We Stand in Solidarity With the Victims of the Violence Unleashed in Ecuador and Demand That the Government Effectively Address Organized Crime
"We express solidarity with the victims of the violence unleashed in Ecuador and demand that the government effectively address the issue of organized crime. Inflammatory statements and reckless measures are not effective and exacerbate the situation."
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...
Murdered Indigenous Leader Becomes Yet Another Statistic
ORAU and FENACOKA express our deepest condolences to the family, the community, and the Kakataibo people for the cowardly and cruel murder and the irreplaceable loss of their Leader BENJAMIN FLORES RIOS, who was fighting for the care of the entire territory of his community to prevent invaders from entering their land. We also reject and condemn...
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.
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.
Unmasking Canada’s Extractive Industry Violations at the UN Human Rights Council
Pressure mounts in Geneva against Canada as civil society demands Indigenous and socio-environmental rights commitments
Civil society organizations also urge Canada to enact regulations ensuring gold's origin traceability, especially when mining occurs in Amazonian countries. They call for a comprehensive energy transition plan that respects human rights and promotes the gradual abandonment of extractive industries that jeopardize the Amazon's ecological balance.
Colombian Indigenous People Demand Justice for the 2022 El Remanso Massacre at the IACHR
The Colombian government must address the current situation of violence and humanitarian emergency affecting the inhabitants of the Putumayo department and provide justice for the extrajudicial executions known as “false positives” committed in the rural community of El Remanso, community representatives from the Putumayo region and, accompanying...
Brazil’s President Lula Protects Indigenous Rights and the Environment With a Partial Veto of Bill 2903
“It is important to say that Article 4, which refers to the Marco Temporal thesis, was completely vetoed. The president’s vetoes guarantee the protection of Indigenous land rights.”
Cargill, Cease Your Destruction!
In every region where Cargill operates, you are destroying the environment and driving out or threatening the communities who live there.
We defend our lands not just for our people but for all of humanity. Your company is harming our collective future.
Brazil’s Supreme Court Rejects the Marco Temporal, but the Fight for Indigenous Land Rights Continues
"After many years of struggles, mobilizations, and anxieties, this outcome dictates Brazil's future of Indigenous land demarcations. We shall indeed celebrate the strength of Brazil's Indigenous peoples."
Victory: Belo Sun Is One Step Closer to Having Its License Permanently Denied
Environmental licensing shifted to federal jurisdiction under Brazil's environmental agency after Belo Sun's arguments were debunked
In a significant victory for the Amazon and Indigenous rights, the environmental licensing process for the Belo Sun mining project in the Volta Grande region of the Xingu River has been successfully shifted from state to federal jurisdiction.
Report Reveals Shocking Rights Violations by Canadian Corporations in Latin America
A groundbreaking report was unveiled at the United Nations Universal Periodic Review Process pre-session in Geneva. This in-depth investigation highlights extensive human rights and environmental breaches by Canadian companies in Latin America and the Caribbean.