“There is no Amazon without its peoples. The territories protected by our communities are the last strongholds against destruction.”
All Press Releases
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Wampís Territorial Guards Attacked While Defending Their Lands
Peruvian government fails to deliver on anti-mining commitments
"The Wampis have to confront illegal gold miners alone, despite the Peruvian government's supposed offensive against organized crime promoting gold exploitation."
Exclusive London Climate Week Preview of “When Waterfalls Die”
New documentary by acclaimed journalist Brandi Morin captures Shuar People's resistance to copper mining project threatening 268 square kilometers of pristine Amazon rainforest
“This isn’t just their story – it’s humanity’s final crossroads between ancient wisdom and corporate greed. When the last defender falls, we all lose something irreplaceable.”
Indigenous Amazonian Delegation Receives Honors in California Senate
“California is complicit in violating our rights by continuing to consume crude that our courts and voters have said must stay in the ground. We are calling on California to take action to phase out its imports of oil that has come at a high price for our forests, our peoples, and our climate.”
Amazonian Indigenous Delegation to Visit Sacramento and Bay Area to Expose New Oil Threat and Call for California Action
A delegation of Indigenous leaders from Ecuador’s Amazon will visit Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area the week of June 16, 2025, to raise alarm over a looming oil expansion threat and deepen ties with California frontline and policy communities.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 28 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
“We Will Not Retreat:” Mura Take Land Defense to Global Stage at COP30
Indigenous leaders mobilize internationally following court decisions greenlighting potash mining on their ancestral territory
“They want to divide us so they can silence us. But what’s at stake is the future of our land, our water, and the life of our people. And we will not stand by in silence.”
Amazon in Peril: New Report Exposes Drug Trade Threat to 270+ Indigenous Communities
"We, the Indigenous defenders, face threats from drug traffickers when we speak out. We are calling for real change in how this crisis is addressed. Our territories and self-protection systems need global government support."
Toxic Empire on Trial: Chevron Faces Global Rejection from Shareholders
Decades of damage spark a groundswell of resistance – from courtrooms to boardrooms
“Shareholders need to understand they’re receiving dirty money – profits that are ill-gotten gains. This isn’t clean money generated by legitimate business practices. It comes from the suffering of people impacted by Chevron’s wrongdoing."
Coordinated Actions Highlight Chevron Destruction Ahead of Annual Shareholders Meeting
"Chevron is the only multinational oil company with a global day of protest held annually against its abuses – and for good reason. It has contributed more to global greenhouse gas emissions than any other investor-owned oil company in history."
Petroperú’s Oil Gamble Fails: Block 64 Auction Flops Amid Indigenous Opposition
"For many years, we have stood alert and resisted every attempt by the Peruvian government and Petroperú to encroach on our territory."
Canadian Mining Company’s SLAPP Lawsuit Against Amazon Defenders Dismissed in Brazil
Court exposes Belo Sun’s attempt to silence critics of its gold mine project in the heart of the Amazon rainforest
"The court's decision to reject the legal complaint represents a victory for forest protection movements, reining in a company that appears to believe it is above the law."
Investor Nuns and Baptists Condemn Big Banks For Violating Indigenous Peoples' Rights
"Pope Francis called us to stand in solidarity with Indigenous Peoples impacted by destructive and extraction industries on their lands. We are grateful to Olivia Bisa from the Chapra Nation for presenting our proposal today at the AGM."
Brazilian Indigenous Leaders Blockade Key Amazon Highway Demanding the Repeal of Law
Amid violence and injuries, the Munduruku people maintain their eighth day of peaceful protest and occupation of the BR-230 Trans-Amazon highway, demanding the repeal of a law that fundamentally slashes Indigenous land rights
“The righteous occupation of the BR-230 led by the Munduruku and the government’s failure to protect them from violence demonstrates the ongoing neglect and harm their home state of Pará – host of COP30 this year – is inflicting.”
Rejecting Injustice: Why We Stand with Greenpeace and Standing Rock
Amazon Watch remains unwavering in our commitment to justice, standing with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, water protectors, Indigenous and frontline communities around the world, and Greenpeace.
IACHR Condemns Ecuador for Violating Rights of Tagaeri-Taromenane People
Landmark ruling calls for concrete measures to guarantee their survival
“This judgment of the Inter-American Court is the result of many years of struggle and is a guarantee of the rights to territory for peoples in isolation, so that they can live without the threat of oil, mining, and other threats."
Religious Investors Win SEC Fight Over Indigenous Rights Resolution at Banks
“We, the Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon, have lived through ecological devastation, witnessed decades of pollution, and faced repeated threats to our self-determination due to spills caused by oil companies like Petroperú and their financiers, such as Citi."
Environmental Groups Call for Independent Trial Monitors in Greenpeace SLAPP Case
North Dakota case raises major legal concerns regarding Indigenous rights, First Amendment, and free speech protections
“This is a blatant miscarriage of justice that threatens anyone who speaks out against unchecked corporate power, human rights abuses, and environmental destruction. It’s corporate power weaponized through the legal system."
Prominent Attorneys Monitor SLAPP Suit Against Greenpeace
Group aims to bring transparency to North Dakota court in one of the most significant environmental and free speech cases in U.S. history
This lawsuit is more than just a legal battle – it is a pivotal test of free speech and corporate accountability.
Amazon Watch Condemns Trump Administration’s Reckless Attack on USAID
The freeze on U.S. foreign assistance, implemented by the Trump administration, is already causing severe harm to vulnerable communities in the Amazon.
Indigenous Leaders Occupy Pará State Education Headquarters
Peaceful protest met with violent government response including rubber bullets and tear gas
"What did the government do in response to our peaceful protest? They sent in shock troops, threw pepper spray in the bathrooms, and cut power to the building. But we remain here in resistance, all for the right to education.”
We Will Not Back Down: Affirming Our Commitment to Global Climate Justice
Now is the time to channel our collective energy toward the people-powered struggles advancing climate justice worldwide.
Reaction to Inter-American Court of Human Rights Sentence in U’wa Case
Statement by U.S.-based human rights organization Amazon Watch, which has accompanied the U'wa people since 1997
Today, the Inter-American Court on Human Rights issued a decisive and favorable sentence to the U’wa Indigenous people of Colombia
Led by Rep. Jim McGovern, 34 Congressional Leaders Urge President Biden: Pardon Environmental Lawyer Steven Donziger
Environmental attorney who fought Chevron for Amazon communities spent almost three years detained on a contempt charge; He is backed by 68 Nobel Laureates, legal expert
“Pardoning Mr. Donziger would send a powerful message to the world that billion-dollar corporations cannot act with impunity against lawyers and their clients who defend the public interest.”
Brazilian Justice Voids Belo Sun Mining’s Concession
In a major victory for the communities of the Amazon’s Volta Grande do Xingu, a judge’s ruling annulled the Canadian mining company’s contract with Brazil’s Land Reform Institute
A Brazilian federal court issued a major setback to Belo Sun, declaring the contract that granted the company its land concession null and void.
Protest at COP29 Demands Cancellation of Brazil’s Ferrogrão Mega-railway
Action in the climate summit’s Blue Zone denounces the Brazilian government’s contradictions and calls for climate justice in the Amazon
"There's no point in the government talking about climate change while it approves mining, carbon credits, and projects like Ferrogrão, which destroy our lands and cultures."
Biden’s Amazon Legacy: Bold Promises Demand Bold Actions Amid Looming Threats to the Rainforest’s Survival
As the Amazon approaches a catastrophic tipping point of ecological collapse, we welcome President Biden’s statements and increased commitment, but we are disappointed that this support comes in the final days of Biden’s administration.
Brazilian Activists Block Tapajós River to Oppose Ferrogrão Mega-railway
Indigenous-led action temporarily halts commodity shipping on major Amazonian river to protest mounting agribusiness-driven threats
“Our action today is meant to send a message to Brazil’s federal government: Ferrogrão’s destruction would jump its tracks, deeply affecting the Tapajós River and beyond.”
Amazon Watch Statement on UN Biodiversity COP16
Towards True Peace with Nature: Reflections and Urgent Actions Post-COP16
On the path to the historic COP30 in 2025, it is imperative that the demands and vision of the global climate movement are front and center in negotiations to address the global climate crisis.
Indigenous Peoples on the Front Lines of Criminal Economies in the Amazon Fight Back at COP16
"Paper declarations, small projects, and militaristic approaches are failing to combat illegal mining and drug trafficking"
"Prior consultation must be a key tool for implementing strategies to fight drug trafficking in the Amazon. Enough with empty declarations. We need real combined efforts between governments and our organizations if we want to defeat criminal economies."
